


A Complicated Web

by gurgi27



Series: BH6 Aftermath [6]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Anaphylaxis, Attempted Kidnapping, Car Chases, Cass finds out, Conventions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Medical Jargon, Medical Procedures, Multi, New York City, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Road Trips, Stark Tower, Tadashi's there in spirit, Trauma, Travel, hiro's in trouble, more tags as the story progresses, things don't look good, this isn't going to end well
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-02-01 19:05:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 77
Words: 234,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12711093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gurgi27/pseuds/gurgi27
Summary: Hiro and his friends head to New York for a student expo headed by Stark Industries. At the personal invitation of the big man, they end up staying at Stark Tower. But what was supposed to be a nice weekend of technology and relaxation goes horribly wrong when other entities step out of the shadows.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, this isn't an actual chapter of the story, but a sort of explanation of things. I had planned on working on my original writings more but the Big Hero 6 stories just kept coming into my head. And then I had to go back into the day job world, which slowed things down even more. But, I have now come to a point where I feel comfortable with beginning to post chapters for my latest installment of my Big Hero 6 Aftermath series.
> 
> This story follows a few months after the events of my last BH6 crossover, When All Q Breaks Loose. It might help you understand the struggles certain characters go through to at least read that one and Control Alt Delete before continuing with this story. There will be a generous amount of references, both obvious and not so obvious, to those, and all other stories previous to this one. But, if you choose to skip over those previous stories, well, just go with it, I guess.
> 
> And before anyone asks, no I don't plan on bringing the universe into this one, which is a drastic break from the previous fan fictions I've written involving our beloved heroes. I know, crazy, right? No, this time I"m trying for a more traditional crossover with the Avengers, Thor, and the like, along with a few original characters thrown in. I am going off of the movies, not the comics, so keep that in mind.
> 
> In this story, Hiro is now 16, which you will learn pretty quick in the next chapter. And there is a lot going on. Since this is essentially a continuation of the previous stories, Hiro and his friends will have to deal with the "aftermath" of all the craziness that I've put them through, most notably Hiro. I've put him through the ringer perhaps one too many times, but he's a tough cookie and will muscle through this one too. (It's so fun to torture characters, don't you think?)
> 
> Anyway, that being said, I will try to do better at catching typos and grammar, but since I usually write my fan fictions by the seat of my pants, and don't generally go back and do much editing with them, it's very possible I will miss quite a few said typos and so forth. Just keep in mind that when I write my original works, I much more careful about such things. But where my fan fiction is concerned, I like to leave them as rough and tumble as they are when they tell themselves to me in the wee hours of the night and during nap time at the preschool where I currently work.
> 
> So, I hope you will enjoy. I'll try to update regularly, but no promises. While I do have a bit already written, my life is pretty hectic right now. I just couldn't wait to share this story with you. And, without further ado, here we go. I hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

**Chapter One: After The Last Time**

Kally Carmichael frowned, a pencil held in the space between her nose and lips. Something on her computer monitor didn't look quite right. She couldn't figure out what though, and it annoyed her. She frowned, impatiently pushing auburn hair back behind one ear. She really should have put it up that morning but couldn't find any of her scrunchies.

A scholarship student, she lived on campus with another girl who was easily five years older than her, though she'd never actually asked her age. It was awkward enough knowing she should technically still be a sophomore in high school, but she'd lucked out with a dorm mate who didn't seem to mind. She could have graduated secondary school sooner but chose to try and not stand out too much. Instead, she'd taken some classes online to keep from becoming too bored.

Most of her high school contemporaries were from poor backgrounds, just like her. And standing out too much tended to bring a lot of unwanted attention by means of bullying, mostly through taunting and cruel jokes never carried quite too far. It didn't help that she was one of the only white students who'd attended that particular institution. She felt thankful her current bunk mate didn't share the same mentality they had, even though she was still a few months' shy of turning sixteen.

"Is something wrong?"

Kally looked up at the visiting professor, who just happened to teach her programming class that semester. She hadn't caught where he was from. All she really knew about him was that he was old, with white hair and a weight of immense years about him. She suspected he was older than he looked, but, again, didn't bother asking. It wasn't polite. And if there was anything her father had taught her before he'd passed on, it was to be polite. Even her foster parents had adopted an environment demanding respect. It was as much a part of her as anything was. And yet, despite her not wanting to ask, she still couldn't help but feel like he was some kind of father figure. There was something decidedly familiar about him, though she knew she hadn't met him before this school year.

Kally sighed as she glanced back at the string of code on her monitor. "It's this algorithm," she confessed as she pointed to the equation in question. "It looks right but it doesn't _feel_ right." She just hoped he didn't ask her to explain what she meant by that because she doubted she could. It made no more sense than the feeling of surety that the equation was wrong. She'd copied it character for character straight off the white board as instructed, but it still didn't feel right. "I've double-checked it at least fifty times," she added, in case he thought she was just derping around.

Professor Othin peered at her screen with one scrutinizing eye. The other was covered by an eye patch. No one had been brave enough to ask why he wore it. Maybe he'd lost it in a fight or to cancer. It was anyone's guess. "I see," he mused, double-checking her work for himself. "And why don't you feel it's correct?"

She felt somewhat relieved he hadn't hinted that she'd thought him the cause of the mistake. He didn't seem like the type to make mistakes. But his attention still left her feeling out of her element. "Well," she hedged, reminding herself not to fidget. She didn't like drawing attention to herself unless she had to. "This part is alright," she pointed to the string. "But this character just doesn't feel like it belongs there." Her finger hovered over a delta sign.

"Hmm," the professor mused, pursing his lips. He rubbed at his beard, then returned his attention to his student. "It doesn't feel like it belongs," he said, repeating her words thoughtfully.

Kally couldn't help but fidget this time as his intense gaze seemed to look right through her. But it didn't feel creepy or anything like that. She had no words to describe the exact sensation, other than she somehow felt exposed, but not in a threatening way. It was almost as if he were looking at her soul and sizing it up. The unfortunate thing was the sensation, though not meant to be malicious, was decidedly uncomfortable.

Professor Othin straightened as he put one hand on her shoulder. "Miss Carmichael seems to have managed to discover what no one else in this room has," he announced. "The algorithm I asked you to copy was flawed. I wanted to see which of you," he removed his hand from Kally's shoulder and began pacing the spaces between the various computer stations, "would be capable of finding it."

Groans filled the room as various students either threw their hands up in the air, hit keyboards, or face planted on their desks. "All right," the professor continued in the same tone, "if any of you can figure out what Miss Carmichael found and have that answer to me before our next class, I won't dock you for today. Class dismissed."

Almost as if the bell had rung to release the last class of the day at a high school, all the students vacated the lab. All but one. Kally chewed the inside of her cheek, a bad habit she'd developed over the years. She closed her eyes and exhaled. She hadn't wanted to stick out, but the professor had pretty much just ruined that for her. As if being the youngest student on the NYU campus wasn't hard enough.

Finally, she made sure her work was saved on the network before logging off. But when she moved to exit the classroom, the professor moved to intercept her. "Miss Carmichael, may I have a word?"

Kally chewed her cheek some more, her backpack hanging off of one shoulder as she paused. "Uh, sure," she hesitated, moving away from the door to meet him halfway. He wasn't as young as he used to be and she figured it would be easier on him that way.

Professor Othin gave her another intense look that, to any outsider, looked no more than casual. She knew better. "Your work so far this semester has been exemplary," he began. "You have managed to progress a lot more quickly than many students several year's older than your current age."

Cheeks now somewhat red, Kally looked at the floor. This was the last thing she'd expected. The praise wasn't something she'd asked for or felt had been earned. Experience had taught her that such praise would only get her in trouble with her other classmates. Such attention, in the past, had earned her a permanent place on the bully list of her peers, usually resulting in taunting and cruel practical jokes. She had done her best to stay out of the lime light since coming here, with the fear of similar treatment from her older classmates. "Thank you," she said faintly.

He gave her another long look as she stared down. There was a sense of kinship there, even if he knew he sometimes intimidated her. It wasn't hard to be intimidating. In fact, he usually had to hold himself back. Of course, it had taken him some time to get to where he was now, but that didn't bear thinking about just now. "Which is why I requested I be the one to tell you," he continued.

Kally couldn't help but look up at that. She searched his face, as if by doing so she would know what he was thinking before he spoke again. "Tell me what, professor?"

Othin directed her further into the classroom, away from the door and any potential of being overheard from someone in the hallway. "As you may know, NYU hosts a student science exhibition every year. It is funded by Stark Industries, among others. The brightest in all scientific fields are invited to present a project, either as a showcase piece or practical exhibit on the floor. I am told that many prestigious companies handpick their future employees from this event."

Watching with wide eyes, Kally realized the professor had pulled an envelope from his pocket and was holding it out to her. Her fingers trembled as she accepted the expensive stationary, her heart pounding in her ears at the possible implications. Stark was an entity everyone in New York, and probably the whole world, knew. And since he'd been willing to sacrifice himself to save the world back at the Battle of New York, she couldn't help but feel a desire to align herself with him and his company, with the possibility of working with them some time in the future. She just hadn't expected for the opportunity to come so quickly. After all, she was only heading into the second half of her first real year there.

It was no secret that Tony Stark personally attended each science expo put on by the university. He was hard to miss, with flashy entrances. And as the professor said, various companies used the expo as a scouting venue to pluck out future employees and protegees. Only the best of the best all over the country were invited, all currently enrolled in some form of upper education. Usually those invited came from prestigious schools . More often than not, many of those who came from other schools were scooped up to finish out their education at the university she now attended.

"I hope six weeks is sufficient time to prepare a project for the event," the professor continued, breaking into her thoughts. He looked amused at her dumb-founded expression. "Well? ?Go on," he added, breaking the tension with a gruff tone, hands clasped behind his back. "I know you have other classes." He watched as she jumped like a deer in headlights before slipping out of the room.

* * *

Baymax stared at the television screen with rapt attention. Cass Hamada had already gone down to open the cafe, leaving him to keep an open ear for Hiro. The boy was still sleeping, something that wasn't unexpected, considering it was a Saturday. He didn't have any classes and the Big Heroes didn't have any missions to worry about. It was probably a good thing Hiro was still asleep. He'd been skimping on sleep lately, against his advice. But the real reason he was keeping an open ear was due to them needing to keep him away from the cafe for a little while.

"It's alive! It's alive!" the character on screen intoned. The healthcare robot had learned how to manipulate the controls on the entertainment medium. And while he had one metaphorical ear turned towards the upper level, the rest of him watched in fascination as the story of Frankenstein's Monster unfolded. He seemed to like such horror flicks almost as much as Cass did.

Baymax blinked as the tell-tale sounds of Hiro waking filled his sensors. Almost as if with a sigh, he turned off the television and waddled towards the stairs, taking them one at a time. Sometimes Hiro woke screaming, though this time didn't seem like one of those times. It was an unfortunate side-effect of all the craziness he'd been through over the past few years. It eventually all took its toll. All he could do was try and help ground his young charge until he was able to return to a more healthy mind set, however long that took.

"Good morning, Hiro," the robot greeted as Hiro sat up in his bed. He'd just finished climbing the stairs, Mochi the cat trying to twine around his legs. "How did you sleep?"

Hiro pushed fingers through his mess of hair, which was showing a decided need of a good run through with a comb. It was sticking up all over the place. "Hey, Baymax," he greeted sleepily. It no longer surprised him to see the robotic nurse first thing in the morning. It would have been weird not to. "Not bad. Wouldn't have minded more but I guess I got enough." He rubbed at his eyes to clear the sleep out before turning to slip his feet out from under the covers and to the floor.

The robot performed a preliminary scan of his number one patient. While it was true he could have slept longer, Baymax was not displeased with the amount he had managed to get. "Your aunt has left you a plate of fruit and pancakes downstairs," he announced. "Do you plan on meeting up with your friends later today?"

The teen genius made his way to the bathroom to take care of his usual morning routine. "Yeah," he answered behind the closed door. "We still need to go over that one project from school." A few minutes later, he exited the bathroom, hair at least somewhat managed, looking more awake than before. He moved to get dressed as the inflatable marshmallow followed him around the room.

The two made their way down to the second level as soon as Hiro was dressed. He found the plate his aunt had left out and sat down to eat while Baymax glanced towards the deactivated television. He still hadn't figured out how to use the pause button. "Perhaps your aunt would like you to help in the cafe today," the robot suggested, even though he knew the opposite to be true.

Hiro couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yeah right," he contradicted. "After the last time I offered to help? I don't think so." His thoughts turned to that time when he'd tried to get a stubborn coffee machine to perform correctly, only to accidentally make the thing explode in a rain of boiling hot coffee. Luckily, no one was really hurt, though he had gotten a few burns Baymax had quickly taken care of. And that had only happened a month ago.

"I believe I see your point," Baymax responded. It probably was better to let him work on his own projects, leaving his aunt to her work. She likely had more than enough helpers. That and they were setting things up for later. Or at least he had been led to believe they were. He hadn't been given a specific time table.

Finished with his meal, Hiro rinsed off his dishes in the sink before placing them in the dishwasher. "I guess I could always tinker down in the garage until it's time to go over to Fred's," he said thoughtfully. He could also go check the mail. Saturdays usually had a lot of junk mail. At least they'd finally stopped sending stuff to Tadashi. It had taken them long enough to get the memo. He'd been dead for almost two years now.

Baymax tilted his head to one side, wondering if Hiro had forgotten what today was. Apparently he had, or he was not sufficiently awake to realize it. Having been sworn to secrecy, he didn't feel the need to remind his companion. After all, it would ruin the surprise his friends and family had planned. "Perhaps that would be best," he agreed to Hiro's plan. It would keep him out of the way long enough for the others to put things together without him having to come up with excuses to create the same result.

Acting almost as a buffer, Baymax made sure Hiro went straight to the garage, bypassing going through the cafe. It was imperative for him to make sure he didn't enter the cafe too soon. And his reverse psychology seemed to have helped with that. "What project will you work on?" he asked curiously as he followed Hiro to one of the work benches. Chances were always good Hiro would do something that might require his attention, or at least his supervision.

Hiro plunked himself down into the swivel chair in front of the 3D computer. "I was thinking I'd try to improve our armor designs," he answered in a distracted tone. He'd already called up the designs, something he kept on a special cloud drive with enough encryption to put the armed forces to shame. That way he could access them at home, their command center, or, less likely, at school. "I'm hoping to find a way to make your gear easier to store should we need to transport it again."

He'd heard about his crew's exploits with said armor shortly after he'd been transformed back into a toddler. They'd had to hastily store the robot's armor in Wasabi's van, mostly covered over with a thrown quilt. But even with that precaution, it had taken up a lot of space, space that could have been used for other things. And if they ever had to leave the area in a hurry, chances were good they'd need that space for other things. He didn't anticipate it happening any time soon but thought it would be better to be prepared just in case.

 


	2. Chapter Two: Similar Letters

Several hours after entering the garage, Hiro had managed to create a way to reduce the storage size and was in the process of fabricating the improved parts when the garage door flipped open. Bright sunlight shown into the previously dim work area and he had to shield his eyes, hoping he wasn't about to reveal something to someone who didn't need to know about it.

With a sigh of relief, he realized the individual who had invaded his space was one of his friends, Fred to be precise. "Hey, man," the mascot greeted as he ducked into the open space. "Hope you don't mind me crashing here for a bit." He found the couch near the back and flopped onto its surface. "I got a little bored back at my place. Figured I could just chill for a bit until everyone decided to meet up." He glanced briefly over at the still open garage door, debating on closing it or just leaving it open.

Hiro solved that debate as he grabbed the rope tied for the purpose of pulling the door back down. The light diminished significantly and the teen genius took that opportunity to flip on the overhead light. "Hey, Fred," he returned the greeting. "I was just working on improving some of our gear." He returned to the 3D printer as the arms inside came to rest, the piece inside finished.

Fred wormed his way back to a standing position. "Looks good," he said as he watched his friend attach the piece to one similar to it. He then gave a funny kind of grin as Hiro demonstrated how it could fold in on itself, making it more compact. "That's cool. Think you could do that with my suit too?"

"Uh," Hiro dithered. Fred's suit used a lot of silicon rubber and was really only in two pieces, if he was being honest, the body and the hood. "Let me get back to you on that." He finished with the piece of armor he'd been working on and stood back, wiping his brow. Later, he'd have Honey apply that metal coating she'd discovered when the asteroid had rammed into the earth a few months back. His stomach grumbled a bit, reminding him he'd been at this for several long hours and that lunch time was fast approaching.

Fred couldn't help but grin at the noise. "Sounds like lunch time," he observed. He never missed a meal if he could help it. Of course, with the rate at which they all burned off calories, they all needed to eat more often than they used to. Hero work was hungry work. "Right, Baymax?" He turned toward the white robot who remained near the door leading into the house.

Baymax seemed to contemplate his statement for a moment, swiveling his head from side to side as he performed a quick scan of the area behind the door. He detected several familiar individuals inside. Was this the signal he'd been told to anticipate? When Fred winked at him, he decided it was, though he was still working on understanding all the little visual cues people used. "Yes," he agreed. "Perhaps it would be wise to obtain sustenance to enable you to continue to work."

Grinning, Fred moved towards the door, grabbing Hiro on the way. "What he said," he added. "Let's go see what your aunt's got in the cafe. I'm sure she's got a few sweet things set aside for us." The woman usually had a way of knowing when one of Hiro's friends had stopped by, and which pastries they liked best.

Hiro couldn't help but roll his eyes as he allowed himself to be dragged up the short flight of stairs leading to the door. Baymax opened the door and and waddled through ahead of both of them. He thought he heard a few hurried shushing sounds before Fred triumphantly led him through the doorway separating the private part of the house from the more public part that housed the cafe.

"Surprise!" several people shouted all at once as Hiro entered the room and confetti flew in the air.

Hiro stood, looking dumb-founded as balloons filled the air, tied to the chairs and tables. All of his friends were there, along with the usual customers he'd grown up knowing. And Aunt Cass smiled happily at him as she brought over a quarter sheet cake decorated with gummy bears and lit candles.

The next thing Hiro knew, everyone had started singing the Happy Birthday song as Honey Lemon's camera flashed in his eyes. He put up a hand as he went between laughing happily, if not a bit embarrassed by the attention, and trying not to be blinded by the flash. "You guys shouldn't have," he protested lightly as Fred wrapped his arms around his shoulders in a comradely hug. Internally, he smacked himself for forgetting what today was.

"It's not every day you turn sixteen," Aunt Cass said proudly as she held the cake so he could blow out the candles.

Honey documented the moment he blew out the candles, smoke wafting up into the air as the flames went out. She then proceeded to take photos as everyone in the cafe came up to offer him congratulations and hugs. By the time he was able to sit down at one of the tables with a piece of cake, she'd taken over a hundred snap shots.

His usual friends crowded in around him at the table, each with a piece of cake as they waited for him to take the first bite. Cheers erupted as his fork met his lips, leaving blue and white frosting on them as he chewed on the gummy bear with the cake. Mouth empty once more, he gave his friends a bit of a reproachful look. "You know you shouldn't have," he protested mildly. He knew there had been something he was forgetting. There was always something, he supposed.

"And miss that dopey look on your face?" GoGo gave him a reproachful look. "Yeah right." She moved in to give him a noogie before releasing him so he could finish his cake. "Sixteen's a big deal, right guys?"

The others nodded enthusiastically. "We weren't about to let you slip past this one without some kind of celebration," Wasabi added with an economical smile as he placed a wrapped gift in front of his younger friend. "Just go with it," he added. "It took the girls a lot of time to plan this without letting you know."

Hiro could well imagine the effort it took his friends and aunt to plan this, what with their various projects, school related and not. He doubted there was anything else that could make his day more complete as he opened the different gifts his friends had brought him. Wasabi had gotten him a small traveling bag for toiletries and other necessities. Honey Lemon gave him a new robot t-shirt. GoGo presented him with a limited edition collector's mug with Iron Man's face plastered all over it. It was no secret Iron Man was Hiro's new idol of choice. And Aunt Cass slipped him a fancy looking envelope.

"It's not really my gift to you," she confessed as he took the stationary. "But I figured it might be just as good." She already had a pretty good idea as to what it said inside, having received a similar envelope over a week or so prior. That and she'd expected it.

Fred's eyes went wide as he recognized the logo on the envelope. "Ooh! I bet I know what that is!" he enthused as he waited for Hiro to open it, nibbling on the ends of his fingers in anticipation.

Hiro couldn't help but give his friend a somewhat confused glance before he slit the envelope open with his fork. If it was something exciting enough to get Fred bouncing up and down, it had to be a big deal. And the way the others were looking at him with riveted attention told him they had an inkling as to what it meant as well. He quickly slipped the letter out from inside, pausing to pick up the second, smaller paper that fell out with it.

"Dear Mr. Hamada," he read. "I am pleased to invite you to New York University's annual Student Science and Technology Expo. You have been chosen to represent your school in the area of robotics." He quickly skimmed through it, his eyes going wider and wider with each sentence. "All expenses will be paid for, room and board, transportation while in New York, along with some pocket money for souvenirs." He looked up, a grin spreading across his face.

Honey returned his grin with an almost maternal smile. "You have no idea how hard it was to keep it from you," she confessed. "Your aunt's been holding on to that all week."

Hiro couldn't help but laugh as he pushed his hair out of his eyes. "How did you even know what it said?" he asked, knowing they wouldn't have gone through his mail without permission.

"Because we got similar letters, you dope," GoGo responded instead as she leaned against the table. "Except Fred told us not to tell you until your letter came."

The teen genius couldn't help but look over at Fred at that comment. "You knew? But how could you know?" It was a lot to take in. And then realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "You got chosen too?"

Wasabi smiled. "That's right. I got picked to represent the physics department. Honey's going for Chemistry, and GoGo got picked for engineering."

Hiro blinked a few times as he tried to add up the numbers in his head. What with all that had just happened, he was having a hard time wrapping his head around it all. "Wait. What about Fred?" He turned to look at the mascot. Technically speaking, Fred wasn't a student, let alone in anything science related. Hadn't he graduated earlier, with a degree in English?

Fred grinned. "I got a personal invite to join you guys as a sort of spectator," he confessed. "I'm kinda a family friend of one of the sponsors, which is also how I knew you were getting one too." He then lifted the paper Hiro had dropped upon first opening the envelope. "You really should read that one," he urged.

Not sure what to expect, Hiro picked up the second piece of paper, his eyes now all but bugging out as he read out loud. "I want to extend my personal invitation to stay at Stark Tower during the Student Expo. Your friends should receive similar invitations. We have a lot to discuss and I look forward to learning more about you and your applications in your field. P.S. Bring that robot of yours. Signed Tony Stark."

Hiro felt like his brain had exploded into a million fireworks as he stared at the paper. "I could die of happiness right now," he managed to say while his friends and family grinned and grinned at him.

"Of course, we all have to come up with some kind of project to present," GoGo reminded. "And we only have six weeks in which to do that."

But Hiro didn't care. He'd been invited to stay at Stark Tower. Not only that, but all of his friends were going too, including Baymax. "Just let me bask in the moment," he requested as he settled back against his chair.

Aunt Cass moved to set another present in front of him. "I thought you might need this after I got word," she admitted. "They had to get parental permission due to your age so they contacted me separately."

"That was my idea," Fred piped up before turning his attention to the small box in front of Hiro. "Go on! What are you waiting for? Open it!"

Hiro absently put the letter down, his expression still a mix of bewildered joy. "Yeah," he said, shaking himself back into the present. He opened the small box and lifted out a charm.

"It's for protection," Cass confident. "I know you'll have you friends and Baymax to watch over you, but I thought you'd appreciate it." Her eyes misted over just a little before she continued; staring at the red fabric sleeve she'd given him. "It has your brothers," she choked up a bit "Tadashi's high school ring is inside."

Hiro couldn't help but turn and wrap his arms around her as the implications of this gift set in. Now Tadashi could be there in more than just spirit. It was something he knew his brother would have enjoyed, had he lived to participate. He'd missed being picked time and again, or had turned it down to help keep an eye out for his younger brother. "Thanks, Aunt Cass," he said, his voice cracking as the tears glistened in his eyes.

Everyone else busily returned to either eating cake or drinking coffee, just to give them the semblance of having some privacy. After a couple sniffles, they knew it was safe to look his way again. "Thanks guys," Hiro said as he resisted the urge to use a napkin as a Kleenex. "Really. I appreciate it."


	3. We Need To Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus Thanksgiving chapter!

 

The next week went by in a blur. Six weeks wasn't much to prepare something new so Hiro opted to go with a project he'd been working on reproducing, his microbots. Only he'd made some improvements to make them less easy to steal and use for bad purposes. He'd also managed to shave down the size of the neurotransmitter a bit, though he hoped to get it down even more. It might prove useful in their super hero stuff later on.

Honey decided her best application would be to show some of the cool chemical reactions she'd managed to create, including Chemical Metal Embrittlement. When she was told to narrow it down, she decided to go with just the one experiment, making sure to have plenty of metal samples to use for demonstration purposes. She chose to go with tungsten carbide.

Wasabi decided to go with his signature creation. He knew it would be impossible to bring his entire laser induced plasma project so he worked on reducing it to a smaller, more manageable size, like what they'd used when creating their super hero gear. Not only would it be easier to transport, but there was less of a chance someone would get hurt. All the same, he made sure to include lots of caution tape and a protective sheet of plasti-glass to keep curious fingers out of harm's way.

As for GoGo, she decided it would be best to showcase her specialty, electro-mag suspension. She chose to use the same bike frame she'd used two years ago to cut down on time fabricating a new one. It was impressive on its own right. That and she'd made some serious improvements on it over the years.

It also helped that they'd opted to go ahead and drive out a few days early so they didn't have to mess with airport security. That and it allowed them to use the storage spaces under the seats of Wasabi's van to stow their superhero gear. It was Fred's idea, really, though none of them anticipated having to use it. It was still nice to know it was there. And thanks to Hiro's latest design, Baymax's armor folded up into a much more compact bundle.

Those six weeks raced by in a blur of activity as they each tried to get their projects ready. Not only did they have to make sure everything would work for the size of the venue, but they had to prepare the necessary papers to prove their projects worked. That and they needed the posters necessary to help outline what they were doing. Fred was a great help with that, since he knew someone who printed banners and poster board.

Hiro couldn't help but wonder who all would be there. Still not one for the lime light, he hoped no one would comment on his obviously younger than typical college age. He toyed with the idea of trying to hack into the guest list but decided against it. He would find out soon enough. At the very least, the idea of not only meeting but rubbing shoulders with Stony Stark was more than enough to keep him jittery from one moment to the next. Part of him felt it was a very good thing he'd built his microbots so many times over the course of several timelines. He could practically do it in his sleep.

But finally, the day set for them to head out arrived. It would technically take about 45 hours to drive straight through without a break. They all knew that wasn't going to happen. Not only were potty breaks a necessity, but so were stops for gas and snacks. Baymax, along with Aunt Cass, insisted they stop off at a hotel every night so no one person was behind the wheel too long, risking someone falling asleep while driving. She even hinted that if something like that were to happen, and they all died in such a crash, she'd bring them back to life just to scold them all soundly.

Wasabi was more than up for that and carefully plotted out their course, complete with scheduled stops for gas and bathroom breaks. If they timed things right, they could arrive at their destination in about four days, mostly rested and ready to go. So, being economical, he added in an extra day as buffer, just to be safe. Things did tend to happen, even though he made sure to have his car in pristine condition before he allowed even one bag to be placed inside. He also made sure to remind them to keep snacking down to items that wouldn't crumble or create crumbs he'd have to later vacuum up.

After careful consideration, Wasabi also allowed that he would have to let others take the wheel during this trip. Since Hiro didn't have a license yet, he was out of the running, but Honey Lemon was good to go. And, after some reluctance, he allowed that GoGo could drive as well. It had been a while since he'd last let her and decided maybe now as a good time to give her a second chance. He still wasn't sure about Fred having a legit license, even though the mascot had shown it to him. He knew those kinds of things could be forged. That and he'd never actually seen him drive.

Aunt Cass stood outside the café as Hiro placed his last piece of luggage inside the trunk area, closing the door to keep it all from toppling out. He'd managed to hide his gear in a duffle bag, mixed in with the microbots to make it less obvious. The others had their gear already stowed, along with Baymax's armor, before he added his stuff to the pile. "Be careful," Cass requested as she gave him a hug, musing up his hair as she did. "And make sure you all keep an eye out, you hear?" She turned to mock glare at his friends. "If I have to come out there to straighten anything out, I'll make sure you're all grounded until you're thirty."

Hiro couldn't' help but give his aunt a bemused smile. "We'll be fine," he protested with an eye roll. "Stark Tower is one of the most secure places in all of New York. Right, Fred?"

Fred nodded. "Totally so," he agreed. "What with Iron Man there, we shouldn't have any problems."

"At least none that should cause you to worry," GoGo quipped. "After all, it's a big place. Our biggest problem will probably be getting lost."

Baymax blinked as he waited beside the car. "I have downloaded a map of New York City and the surrounding areas," he admitted. "I can be used as a navigational tool should that occur."

Hiro gave the robot an affectionate pat on the air. "Okay, buddy, time to shrink. We're going to need all the leg room we can get. I am satisfied with my care."

Hearing the words, Baymax shuffled into his case, ready for such a purpose, and deflated. Once the robot was fully deactivated, Hiro lugged the case to the van and slid it under the front seat where they'd left a space for him. He turned back to his aunt for one last hug before climbing into the car behind his other friends. After that, he buckled in as Wasabi started the engine, turning to wave as the physics student put the car in gear and drove off. "Bye!" he called out, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.

* * *

Kally chewed on the inside of her cheek as she contemplated her project. At Professor Othin's suggestion, she'd opted to create a simple program that would manifest itself via a holo projection imager. Well, simple for her at least. She'd already managed to work out the kinks and was just putting on the finishing touches in her lab space when the professor entered the area.

"Good morning, Miss Carmichael," he greeted as he took a gander at her project. He nodded in appreciation at her hard work. Not only had she managed to create a program that would interact, at least on a basic level, with others, but she'd managed to create a small holo projector to go along with it. The program manifested itself as a woman wearing casual clothes, seeming to float in the air. It would turn towards the closest person, almost as if it would sense someone was there. And, in a way, it could, thanks to the motion sensors she'd added to the base.

Kally couldn't help but jump a little, though she tried to hide it. She'd been too absorbed in her project to pay attention to much of anything else. "Professor," she said a bit breathlessly. "I didn't see you come in."

Othin smiled, more than aware of her distraction. "Might I suggest trying to pay more attention to your surroundings during the showcase?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "People have been known to try and steal projects at these kinds of events. One must always stay on their toes."

Affecting a bit of a salute, Kally nodded. "Thanks for the advice. I'm just glad you convinced them not to make me do one of the onstage presentations. I don't think I could manage doing that without passing out or something." Even the thought of doing something like that made butterflies fill her stomach.

"I understand there will be another student close to your age attending," Othin said, changing the subject slightly.

This announcement caught Kally by surprise and she couldn't help but look back up from checking her design. "Someone my age?" She hadn't heard of anyone else in the area that might come even close to what she'd managed, graduating high school early, only to turn right around and enter college at the next beat.

Othin's smile widened. "Yes, a young man from California, the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, to be precise. Perhaps you could get to know him while he's here."

Kally blinked a few times at that idea. Would it be okay to seek out this person? She supposed, but that didn't mean she had to necessarily go out of her way. Chances were good they'd bump into each other along the way anyway. The expo was several days long, each day highlighting a different aspect of science and technology. Not to mention the welcome dinner the first night, where all attendees were invited to mix and mingle with each other. "What's his field of specialty?" she asked as she returned her attention to her project.

"Robotics," Othin replied, watching her work. She had an innate ability to know how things worked, which was probably why she'd been able to figure out that one wrong character all those weeks ago. She'd been the only one able to do so, not that he was surprised by that. She did have an unusual gift, after all. "I understand he had an older brother who worked in the same field, focusing more on programming, just like you."

Had? She wondered at the past tense but chose to ignore it. He liked to dangle little teases her way, just to see if she'd bite. Well, she wasn't going to nibble on this one. "Okay," she nodded, not looking back up. "Sounds fun."

He gave her another scrutinizing look before patting her on the shoulder once. "If nothing else, it wouldn't hurt to make a few friends. There is strength in numbers." And with that, he left the space.

Kally couldn't help but look up at that comment and caught sight of the tail of his coat as it flapped out of view. What had he meant by that, she wondered. She hadn't really had many friends growing up. Her dad had been good enough, at least until he'd died. And after that, she'd not risked the possibility, knowing the majority of her classmates were more likely to spit in her eye than be her friend.

* * *

Pepper Potts exited the vehicle she'd been riding in, Agent Coulson right behind her. She'd been a little surprised to learn he wasn't really dead. Of course it also wasn't entirely surprising, all things considered. But now was not the time to worry about that. Yes, it would shock Tony a bit, but not as much as the news they were bringing him would. It was unfortunate that it had to coincide with the student expo, but that was life.

"Good morning, Miss Potts," JARVIS greeted the moment she set foot in Stark Tower. "Should I inform the others of your arrival?"

Even though she knew the artificial butler wasn't really tangibly there, she'd grown accustomed to his presence. It was nice knowing Tony had him at his back. "No. That won't be necessary," she replied. "I'm headed right up now. But if you could tell me where he is, that would be helpful."

"Of course, Miss Potts," he agreed. "Mr. Stark is currently in lab space three on the twelfth floor."

Pepper nodded, a little surprised he hadn't said anything about Phil Coulson's presence. After all, she wasn't the only one who'd thought him dead. Unless he knew something she hadn't. It was a possibility, but she doubted it. "Thank you," she said instead and headed for the elevator. Chances were good Tony was working on a last minute project to wow the guests.

The elevator chime dinged as they reached the desired floor and Pepper exited with a brisk, no-nonsense step. As the CEO of Stark Industries, she'd developed several habits, including the power walk. If nothing else, it usually kept annoying potential clients from reaching her any sooner than necessary. But that wasn't the reason why she was in such a hurry now. "Tony!" she called out as she entered the lab, only to stop when she saw her boyfriend leaning over something with a welder and protective gear in place.

Tony held up one finger as he spot welded something with the other hand. He was wearing a black t-shirt with some random design she couldn't immediate place. But the man standing next to him was easier to identify as Dr. Bruce Banner, though why he was in the same lab space as Tony was anyone's guess. He usually preferred to work alone. "Just a sec," Tony called out before Pepper could say another word. He finished whatever it was he was doing and pushed the protective visor back out of his face before turning to see who all had entered the room.

"Tony," Pepper tried again, seeing him pulling himself away from his work. "We need to talk."

But Tony just walked right past her, looking almost like he'd seen a ghost as he stepped right up to Agent Coulson. "I thought you were dead," he said in a point blank tone. "We all thought Loki'd killed you."

Phil merely smiled one of those smiles that gave nothing away as he stood with his hands clasped together. "Morning, Mr. Stark. I'm sorry you couldn't be read in on that incident. Furry thought it best everyone think I was out of the picture for a while. That and it gave everyone the motivation they needed to get the job done back then."

Tony gave a funny roll of his eyes as he returned to whatever circuit board he was soldering. "So, to what do I owe the honor?" He flipped the headgear back into place while Bruce stabilized the board.

"Do you really have to do that right now?" Pepper asked with some annoyance as she folded her arms impatiently. "I just arrived from the main office with some information you really should hear."

That seemed to get his attention as Tony took off his protective gear and set it aside. "I'll just finish up in here," Bruce said as the other man moved away from the lab table.

With a wave of his hand, Coulson indicated they should exit the room. Once both Tony and Pepper were out in the hall, he followed them. "There's been a breech," he began once the lab doors had closed.

Tony looked questioningly at Pepper who let out a sigh. "Someone broke into the mainframe at the main office. They were trying to download plans to Stark Tower." Her boyfriend's head seemed to jerk up at that. "We don't think they got anything, but it's possible someone may be targeting you for some reason."

Stark couldn't help but frown at that. It wasn't unusual, but he had some misgivings about the news. All the same, it came as an annoyance. He wasn't one to run from danger. "I have several students scheduled to arrive sometime today and you're telling me security might be compromised? The student expo is supposed to start tomorrow. What do you want me to do? Cancel it?"

Before Pepper could answer, Phil took a step forward. "No, nothing like that," he assured. "Like Miss Potts said, we don't think they got anything. But, just to be safe, we'd like to station some additional guards throughout the building. It's just a precaution, especially if you do have guests staying here."

Tony looked far from happy as he began to pace. "You don't think?" he repeated before stopping suddenly to stare at the agent. "You do know this is the most secure building in all of New York, right? With JARVIS, it makes the building more secure than any military base. Maybe even the White House."

"Thank you for your confidence, sir," JARVIS intoned from one of the wall speakers.

Coulson resisted the urge to let his shoulders sag. "It's only a precaution. I understand the individuals you asked to stay here are students from California, including Stanley Whitmore's son, Frederick isn't it?"

"Fred," Tony corrected, still frowning. He had to admit Coulson had a point. "Fine," he agreed. "But none of the planned activities change unless you can give me definitive proof that we're compromised."

Pepper looked ready to protest but stopped at a slight shake of the head from Tony. "Fair enough," she reluctantly agreed. She turned to Phil. "Please see to it," she requested. "I need to get ready to welcome our guests." With that she turned on her heels and headed back down the hall.

"You know Miss Potts only has your best interests at heart," JARVIS spoke up in the resulting silence. "One can never be too careful."

Tony sighed. "You're right, but I'm not about to admit that in front of her." He then turned and reentered the lab, the door closing behind him.

"Is it just me or does he seem more stubborn than usual?" Coulson asked as he straightened his shoulders.


	4. This is Tony Stark

Hiro couldn't help but gawk at the scenery. San Fransokyo was impressive in its own right. New York City was even more so. It had a weight of years, despite some newer construction, mostly post Battle of New York when the Avengers had saved the planet. Man, what it must have been like to be there, he thought.

They'd made good time, mostly due to GoGo hitting the gas while Wasabi was sleeping. The fact that they'd employed the use of Benadryl, which knocked him out, helped. While he'd slept, they'd switched off during the night while the others slept. Even Fred took a turn, though no one wanted to mention that experience again, ever. Not even GoGo.

Wasabi yawned, alerting those who were awake to the fact that he was rejoining the land of the living. "Whose turn is it to drive?" he asked, still not quite with it. Then he did a double-take. "How on earth are we already in New York!?"

GoGo smirked from her seat in the back. She'd switched off with Honey Lemon only an hour outside of city limits. Of course, the fact that Fred had greatly reduced the whole amount of time during the night didn't exactly come up either. "Wondered when you'd wake up,. You snored like a lawn mower most of the night."

"What did you do?" Wasabi demanded as he stared at her. "Did you slip something in my coffee? Because there is no way I would've slept over twelve hours without you slipping me something!"

Fred took that opportunity to interrupt things by violently waking from a bad dream. He struggled against the seat belt of the front passenger seat like it was some kind of chain holding him down. "No monsters! No monster!" he called out, decidedly not with it. He'd stayed up a little too late on his shift and was paying for it.

Almost impatiently, GoGo reached over and smacked him upside the head. "Will you stop that? You've going to distract Honey Lemon!" she complained.

Honey somehow managed to avoid hitting the car in front of her as it braked for a red light moments later. "Could you guys please stop that? I'm trying to drive here!"

"Will someone please tell me how we got to New York without me realizing it!?" Wasabi yelled. He strained against his seat belt as he waved his arms to emphasize his point. "Because there's no way we could have gotten here if someone hadn't driven through the night!"

Hiro started to giggle. He couldn't help it. The whole situation was just so ridiculous. "Oh my gosh, guys!" he crowed. "Do you have any idea how funny you sound?" He was more than happy to have slept through most of Fred's driving.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, except Honey Lemon, who continued to drive after the car behind them honked loudly. "You know," Fred spoke up, now fully awake, "I think that's the first time I've actually heard you laugh, outside of your birthday, since you know when."

And it was true. They'd all had a lot to process through after the two Doctors had returned to wherever, whenever, they'd come from, along with their alternate dimensional future friends. It had taken a while for Hiro to even begin to explain what he'd gone through, the extra memories from various attempts to save his brother and so on. No one blamed him, of course. Having to live through multiple deaths again, on top of all the feelings—physical and emotional—associated with them couldn't have been an easy thing. He'd almost died, for real. They all hoped this trip would be a nice escape from all the craziness they'd had to deal with. In a way, it wasn't totally surprising he'd forgotten about his birthday, until they'd practically thrust it in his face with that surprise party.

"Stark Tower's just ahead," Honey commented as Hiro's giggles died down.

While they were still technically a good ways off from the building, they could now easily see it towering above all the neighboring structures. And it was quite the sight, with the letter A proudly adorning the upper floors like a beacon. "Wow," Fred breathed as he stared at the megalith. He hadn't been out there since before the Battle of New York.

The idea of soon meeting Iron Man sobered Hiro faster than anything else could. It seemed to have a similar effect on the others. If only there was room to activate Baymax so he could see this too, the teen genius thought. But he'd get his chance later on. He would probably have to stash Baymax in his room in the tower during the actual expo anyway. He'd heard too many rumors of people trying to steal tech and didn't want Baymax to become the next target, even if Tadashi had gotten all the patents and so forth approved, all now, thankfully, transferred to Hiro. All the same, it wouldn't be worth the hassle of finding someone doing a cheap knockoff, even if Fred's lawyers went to bat for him.

Hiro wrung out jittery hands, opening and closing his fingers repeatedly. "I'm so nervous," he admitted when GoGo glanced his way. "I'm about to meet one of the biggest names in robotics, someone that not only I looked up to, but Tadashi did as well." Ever since he'd opened up about his time-looped memories, it had become a bit easier to talk about his brother. He supposed it was about time, though there were still moments when the pain of lose overwhelmed him and he had to take a step back and just breathe. He'd had to do that a lot lately, and not just because of memories of his brother.

"Almost there," Fred quipped, practically bouncing with excitement. "I can't wait for you to meet him! Hey, maybe we'll all get to meet some of the other Avengers! I heard they sometimes stay there when they're in town! Can you imagine meeting Captain America or the Black Widow? I mean how cool would that be?"

GoGo rolled her eyes as she blew and popped a gum bubble. "One hero at a time," she admonished. "We don't need to make Hiro's brain implode anymore than it already has." She gave a pointed look at their youngest member as he stared ahead in an almost mesmerized state. "Any more surprises and he just might drool."

"Will not!" Hiro protested, though he wiped at his mouth, just to be safe. All the same, it was pretty cool that they'd get to meet and stay at the same place as Iron Man. It would be even cooler if they could meet some of the other Avengers as well, though he wasn't holding his breath. They were all likely off on some mission, or just lying low until one popped up. That's what they did and he thought they'd probably do the same.

About ten minutes later and they were directed to pull into a vast underground parking garage beneath the Tower. Honey was more than willing to follow the directions to the desired spot, turning off the van's engine once she'd parked. "Well, we're here," she said rather anti-climatically.

Seat belts zizzed as they were disengaged and side doors were opened. Various snaps, crackles and pops sounded as the van's occupants got out and stretched. "That was a killer drive," GoGo said as she raised both arms up into the air, making her jacket ride up her chest. Luckily, her shirt underneath kept anything from being exposed.

"I still want to know what you gave me to knock me out like that," Wasabi insisted as he helped Hiro pull Baymax's case out from under the seat. He set the case on the ground while Hiro moved back. He was just happy they'd installed wheels on this thing. It wasn't the lightest thing on the planet, especially not when Baymax was in compact form, with all the extra weight of the charger on top of it all.

Honey shook her head as she retrieved her suitcase from the back. "It was Benadryl," she confessed. She held up one hand to ward off further comments as Wasabi's mouth opened in protest. "At least it wasn't that same stuff we gave to Hiro that one time! I do still have the formula memorized, you know."

Wasabi's mouth closed. She had a point. At least Benadryl didn't have any side effects. At least not for him. "Just promise me you won't do that again," he demanded, finger pointed at him.

"No problem," Honey replied sweetly. "I'm not the one who did it anyway." She moved past him with her bag, realizing someone had come out from the doors just across from them. She hoped they led into the tower and that whoever was coming out was there to help them with their things.

Fred seemed to perk up at the sight of the man. "Tony, my man!" he called out as he sauntered over to the man wearing dark sunglasses. The others blinked in confusion before recognition kicked in, mostly because the guy in question had removed his sunglasses. "See? I told you we'd make good time!"

Tony Stark gave Fred an enthusiastic pat on the back. "So, these are your friends from SFIT," he said as he continued towards the group by the van.

"Guys," Fred spoke up before Tony could finish, "This is Tony Stark. Hiro's practically been drooling to meet you," he added, his face lit up with a mischievous grin.

Hiro gave Fred a withering look. "Was not," he protested under his breath but straightened up as Tony walked up to him, looking him up and down as if sizing him up.

"You don't look like much," Tony commented. "But then again, appearances can be deceiving, can't they?" He gave him an appraising look. "At least you're not the only one your age who'll be attending the expo."

The teen genius wasn't sure what to make of that comment. "Okay, um…" he bit his lip. He hadn't heard of anyone else in the news. Weren't most teen geniuses exploited by the media? He'd had to dodge reporters for weeks after the story broke when he'd graduated high school at thirteen. Surely he'd have heard of something in the national news. They liked to run that kind of stuff.

Tony gave Hiro a quick slap to the back, which almost sent him scooting forward. "She's kind of shy of the lime light," he added, "so you've probably never heard of her. Somehow managed to avoid all the press. Of course, it's kind of easy to fall through the cracks when you life in the same city as someone like me. Everything else tends to get put on the back burner."

Wasabi just kind of nodded at that logic as Tony glanced his way. He forgot to breathe for a few seconds, noisily sucking in when he remembered. "Uh, hi," he greeted. "Thanks for uh, putting us up while we're here." He reached out a hand for Tony to shake.

The billion-dollar hero gave Wasabi's hand a brief shake before turning to look around again. "I heard you had a robot but I don't see it," he commented as Honey waited patiently for her turn to be introduced. GoGo looked as uninterested as usual, arms folded over her chest.

"We do," Hiro spoke up as he patted Baymax's case. "He's a little big to fit in the car with all of us in there so we had him deactivate. I'll show you when we get upstairs."

The reminder was not lost on their host as he quickly realized he'd neglected the important stuff. "Right." He clapped his hands together. "I'm sure you kids want to settle in. I'll have someone bring your stuff up."

"We'd rather at least supervise that," Honey spoke up a bit timidly. "After all, we do have our projects for the showcase packed in there. We can't have any of that go missing on us or getting broken."

Tony gave her a calculating look that made her fidget just a little. "Smart thinking. I can arrange to have a few carts brought out so you can do that." He then turned towards the door he'd come through. "JARVIS, can you have them send out a few luggage carts or something?"

"Of course, sir," came the reply out of thin air.

Wasabi ducked like something was going to attack him. "What in the world? Who's talking?" He looked around almost frantically.

Fred started laughing. "Relax, man. That's just JARVIS. He's kind of like Tony's personal assistant slash Heathcliff all rolled into one. Except he's more like Baymax, though I guess you could say he lives inside the entire tower when he's not helping power Iron Man's suit. You know no physical body or any of that."

"An AI?" Hiro asked curiously. He couldn't help but look at their host with total awe. "You managed to create an artificial intelligence?"

Tony shrugged. "He helps me around the house," he replied tersely, pausing as two men in uniforms came out pushing luggage carts. "These guys will help you get your stuff upstairs. I've got to go check on a few things down at the university." He gave a wave before heading towards one of several expensive looking cars further down in the parking garage.

"See? Isn't he like so cool?" Fred glowed as the two men came over to help unload the luggage. "Oh my gosh, guys! We're going to have so much fun!"

* * *

Kally glance almost nervously over her shoulder. It wasn't so much that she felt like she was being watched. It was more like the potential for it. Of course, it was kind of silly to think that. She was in the middle of the auditorium where the showcase was being held. She'd gotten her assigned booth number early, one of the perks of living on campus. Of course, since she was also a current student, she didn't get the added perk of a hotel room and travel expenses. She did still get food and some spending money, though, so that was nice.

It didn't really take much to set up her stuff. She had all day and tomorrow to do it. It was just easier to get it done and over with before everyone else came stampeding in with their projects. She hadn't loaded her program, though. The projector also hadn't been put in place yet. She would wait until the last minute to do that, not wanting to risk either being stolen or damaged. She'd heard too many stories. She hadn't had time to apply for the appropriate patents just yet and didn't want to risk it.

Various other students milled around as they found their respective areas. Some had arrived early from out of town. Others, like her, lived in close proximity to the university. At least the bustle was kept to a minimum. Their footsteps echoed in the building, along with calls to various friends and other helpers. She didn't have anyone helping her haul stuff over, which was just as well. The main point was to get up all the posters and pertinent data, which she'd almost finished.

"Hey, you're like that one special student, right?" a tough looking girl called out as she stopped in front of Kally's space. "You look just as small and pathetic as they said." She turned to laugh with a few other students who had followed her.

Kally clenched her fists where they couldn't see them. It was like high school all over again. Chances were good these students weren't even going to be a part of the showcase. They were likely just passing through out of curiosity. Didn't they have anything better to do with their time?

One of the boys with her snickered. "Yeah, looks like they're letting babies in now, doesn't it?"

Their other companion, another boy, pretended to hit drums and a high hat. "Right on the mark!" he laughed. "I swear they get younger and younger every year."

"Please don't," Kally said as the girl picked up one of her posters.

The girl looked towards he companions and laughed. "Awe! The wittle baby doesn't want me to touch her stuff," she taunted just before ripping the poster and tossing the pieces to the side.

A shadow loomed over the three of them. "If I am not mistaken, you should not be here," an authoritative voice spoke over their giggles. "If I were you, I would leave, before you really get into trouble and possibly expelled."

The girl turned to taunt the man behind her but stopped mid-word. Her mouth hung open like a fish out of water as she recognized Professor Othin standing over her. "Uh…"

"Taunting and bullying others is nothing to be proud of," the professor continued as he held the girl's gaze. "They are neither marks of compassion nor of good character. I suggest you leave. Now. Before I report you to your respective deans."

The three students scrambled like roaches with a light turned on them. One ran into the corner of another table before getting back up and dodging out of sight. "Allow me," Othin said as he turned to help Kally pick up her tattered poster.

Kally stepped back as he picked up the pieces. Something in her seethed at the injustice, but she knew there wasn't really anything she could do about it. A professor knew about the bullying. Chances were good he wouldn't let it slide. He wasn't that kind of a person. "Thanks," she said instead as she let out a sigh and accepted the torn fragments of her work. "Guess I need to cough up another couple of bucks to get this replaced."

Othin took in her downcast demeanor, feeling a pang at her plight. He'd thought those three might be after trouble and partially wished he'd gotten there sooner. But Miss Carmichael had to learn to stand up for herself at some point. "I may have a better solution to your problem," he countered. "If you will allow me, I'll have one of my aides print off a new poster and bring it to you first thing in the morning. Just send the files to my email."

She couldn't help but look up in surprise at his offer. One might almost say he was granting her special favors. But no, Professor Othin didn't do that. He didn't play favorites. "Thanks," she said again. "That would help." She didn't want to mention that she'd already used up all of her funds carefully set aside for the event. She had money for the basic necessities but this would have set those back. She really didn't want to have to go back to eating ramen for a week to get things back on track.

"It's no trouble," Othin smiled as he leaned lightly against her table. "There will always be bullies like that. You will eventually have to stand up to them. But, as this was not your fault, I am more than willing to help out. After all, you do show great promise and I would not want the judges to look down on you just because a couple of your fellow students are jealous."

That brought a smile to Kally's lips. Her father used to tell her the same thing. People usually bullied others because they had something they didn't, be it physical, mental, or emotional. She could modestly say she had brains. Beyond that, she didn't feel comfortable claiming any other advantage. "I'll keep that in mind."

Othin reached out and briefly squeezed her hand. "Don't let them get you down. You have more important things to worry about, such as getting through this expo." His eyes twinkled as he let her hand go before moving on.

Kally couldn't help but shake her head as he left. A funny sort of grin crossed her face. How had he known to say that? It was something her father would have said. _Keep your chin up, Kally,_ he used to say. _You have more important things to worry about other than what other people think._

She missed him. A lot. She'd be lying if she said otherwise. And, sometimes, the pain just hit her, like right now. He'd promised to teach her how to defend herself. He'd just never gotten around to it. Why had he left her? Why had he gotten cancer? It wasn't fair. She felt the tears start to well up and willed them back. She wasn't going to cry. Crying was a sign of weakness. And even though she still couldn't stand up to the bullies, she wasn't weak.

Taking a deep breath, Kally turned back to her booth and finished putting up what she could, making sure to leave room for the poster her professor was going to replace for her. She made a mental note to send him the files later. There were other things she needed to do, like turn in her paper to the committee members. On top of having a demonstration, she had to have a paper explaining what she was doing, why she'd chosen to do it, and how it all worked. There were still a few touches she needed to finish so she packed up the rest of her stuff and headed back to her dorm room where she kept her laptop. Everything else could wait until later.


	5. Geek Out

"This is so cool," Hiro said for the umpteenth time as they completed the ten cent tour of Stark Tower. Thanks to the help of whoever those guys were Tony had requested, their stuff had been moved to their respective rooms with ease. And since there wasn't really all that much to unpack, they'd all been more than willing to accept the offer of a look around the building. Tony had returned by the time they'd gotten their stuff unpacked and offered them a look around.

Fred seemed to be jumping up and down with excitement every time Hiro found something else to ogle over, almost like he was taking special delight in his reactions. Of course that could have been because he'd already seen all of this before and just wanted to see how everyone else would react. And since Hiro was the one who'd most looked up to Stark, it only made sense that he'd get the biggest reactions out of him when taken on a guided tour by said man. It was like unleashing a kid in a candy store.

"Fred, you're being more than a little creepy," GoGo commented as she glanced at him with her usual dose of sarcasm. "Would you please stop?"

Honey's phone flashed as she took yet another picture. She made sure to not include anything that might be considered proprietary. Her aim was more on those in her group and their reactions to all the cool tech Mr. Stark was showing them. "You have to admit it is really something," she defended. "I don't blame him for being excited."

Hiro seemed to move from one place to the next as he inspected everything presented like it was some kind of sacred relic. His eyes only seemed to get bigger when they were shown one of the many labs housed inside the tower. "I really have died and gone to heaven," he breathed, a goofy kind of grin plastered to his face.

Wasabi, even though he was equally impressed, managed to stay more observatory than ogling. Physics were more his thing, and though there were a lot of cool things here, Iron Man wasn't his idol. He nodded at something Tony said, though he couldn't remember what it was afterwards. His thoughts were more preoccupied with mentally going over everything he'd brought with him, especially his notes. He wanted everything to be perfect for the showcase. After all, he was getting close to graduating. Most of them were, to be honest.

"And that's just about everything worth seeing," Tony said as he stopped in the middle of one of the hallways just off the elevators. "Everything else is either a repeat or is still in a state of repair."

Honey pushed her hair back behind her ears, then decided to just redo her ponytail. She hadn't bothered with the usual bun, mostly because they'd been on the road. "I kind of wish we'd activated Baymax and brought him along to see all this," she said as she took one last picture.

Stark's brows lifted at the reminder of the healthcare bot. "Ah, that's right. You were going to show him to me once you got settled in," he reminded Hiro. "I'm curious. I heard he's an artificial intelligence designed for use in the healthcare division, am I right?"

Hiro couldn't help but beam with pride. "That's right. My brother created the program. I just recreated the body, with a few improvements." He seemed to swagger a bit, despite mentioning his brother's creation. "I think of him as a gift from my brother." His expression softened as he thought about that first time Tadashi had shown him Baymax. It wasn't quite as painful anymore, though it did make him a little sad.

"I heard about what happened," Stark replied. "I think I would have liked to meet him."

Hiro returned his thoughtful look for a somewhat wistful smile, his throat thickening a bit with emotion. "I think he would have liked that." He cleared his throat, trying to loosen the tension as he got his emotions back under control. Tadashi would have loved this, all of it. _He's always with me_ , he reminded himself, mentally tapping himself on the chest. _Right here._

"Pardon me," JARVIS spoke up from one of many speakers throughout the building, "but Miss Potts requesedt I remind you your guests may wish to change and freshen up before a late lunch is served."

Tony gave a bit of an eye roll, accompanied with a head shake. "Tell Pepper we're done with the tour and I was just about to send them to do just that." He gave his guests a knowing look. "You heard the man," he added. "Time to clean up. I'm sure you all remember where the various facilities are located? Good. I'm going to go find Pepper and see what she's got prepared for you guys. Fred or JARVIS can lead you to the right place when you're ready."

The elevator doors closest to Mr. Stark opened and he stepped into the waiting car. "I'll leave the other cars for you guys to use, if you don't mind." The doors slid shut with a slight ding moments after he finished talking.

"Please don't mind him," JARVIS requested. "Sometimes it's all I can do to keep his head on straight."

Fred snickered. It was a long standing joke between them. "Okay guys, we should probably do what he says. You know, go freshen up and stuff. I'm sure at least Wasabi's dying for a shower." He could see his friend scratching at imagined dirt. Still, sitting in a car or lying in hotel rooms for the past few days had probably taken a toll. He didn't blame him for not wanting to use the showers, especially not since they'd skipped the opportunity to shower the night before due to just driving though the night. Wasabi had given them all a lecture on how unsanitary some hotel rooms could be.

Honey pushed the call button for the next elevator over. Their rooms were ten floors up from their current one. "I wonder how many people will be there tomorrow," she mused. "Do you really think it's okay that we're not planning on heading over there today to start setting up?"

GoGo slipped into the elevator as the doors opened, moving to the back as she popped her gum. The others followed. "I don't think it'll make that much of a difference," she observed. "It's not like we're dragging in a boatload of stuff. Hiro's the one with the most to bring in with those microbots." She felt glad he hadn't opted to bring twelve bins full this go around. As things stood, they'd packed enough microbots to make a five foot tall replica of the Eiffel Tower. "And he doesn't actually have to bring those in until the day of his presentation."

Unlike the others, Hiro had opted to go a similar route to the SFIT showcase. That way he could get his part done quicker. Aside from which, it was easier to show his microbots on a large scale as opposed to in a small booth, not to mention more secure. He didn't need to leave them sitting around where anyone could just pocket one. Of course, he had put in those little fail safes to make sure they wouldn't get stolen again. If they did, they'd go the way of the dodo so fast it would make a lightning strike seem slow. And there was no way he was letting the transmitter out of his sight when it wasn't safely secured inside his room. Tony had supplied one of those little safes that allowed him to choose the combination. It was more secure than anything else. Plus, Fred practically begged JARVIS to keep an eye on things when they weren't there, and to send him a text message if someone messed with it.

"Maybe we should head over there after lunch," Hiro debated. "I mean we could at least get an idea of the size of the venue and who the locals are. We can also get an idea of the layout and where everyone's supposed to go. It would save us time tomorrow when everyone else shows up. I bet there'll be a line out the door just to find out where everyone' designated space is."

Wasabi nodded. "He has a point. Except if we're driving over, I'm going to be the one behind the wheel." He secretly vowed to keep closer track of his food and beverages while they were out there, just in case.

Fred laughed. "Dude! None of us has to drive anywhere while we're here! We can totally either ask Tony to have one of his guys drive us or take a taxi. Either works. I know he won't mind."

The elevator chimed, indicating they'd arrived at the specified floor as the doors slid open once more. "I think they may be right," Honey hedged. "It wouldn't hurt to at least look around."

"I think that would be an excellent idea, Miss Honey," JARVIS said, momentarily startling everyone. They'd managed to convince the artificial butler to use their nicknames instead of their real names. It was less confusing that way. That and it felt a lot less formal, something Hiro was more comfortable with than being constantly called Mr. Hamada. (That's what Professor Callaghan had called his brother and it felt weird for others to call him that.) Well, mostly. JARVIS still insisted on using "miss" when addressing Honey Lemon or GoGo.

After everyone agreed to the plan, they dispersed to their various rooms. GoGo and Honey shared one guest room. Wasabi shared one with Fred. Hiro had a smaller room with Baymax. Not that any one room was really small, because they weren't. They were huge, even by Fred's standards. And they were either right next to each other or across the hall from each other. It helped that each room had its own bathroom, though that did mean they had to take turns, except for Hiro. But they'd grown so used to sharing spaces it didn't seem necessary to request separate rooms.

When the teen genius entered his room, he glanced over at Baymax's case. He felt gross after riding in the car for hours on end. A shower would be just the thing. Baymax could wait a little longer to be reactivated. That and Hiro wasn't entirely sure he'd finished charging. Despite not being active, he did still use some juice when in sleep mode if his charger wasn't plugged in. That and he was still trying to get his emotions under control after the absent-minded comments about his brother.

Thirty glorious minutes later, he returned to the main part of his room, much cleaner, a little red from the heat of the water, and a lot less sore. The bathroom had a Jacuzzi tub and he had taken full advantage of it. Who said he couldn't enjoy a few creature comforts? But now that he was clean, in clean clothes, he faced Baymax's charging station once more and said the one word sure to activate him. "Ow."

There was a rush of air as the case unfolded and Baymax inflated at record speed. "Hello, Hiro," Baymax greeted the moment he was fully inflated. "Have we arrived at our destination?" He stepped free of the charger when Hiro nodded, looking around as he blinked a few times. "This building appears to be secure." One thing Hiro had insisted on adding was a feature to detect security systems. "I also detect multiple life signs on this level alone that do not include Honey Lemon, Wasabi, Fred, or GoGo."

"I hope so," Hiro laughed. "This is Stark Tower and sort of Avengers headquarters. It had better be secure. If not, my aunt might have a conniption fit." He ran a hand through his still damp hair, pushing it out of his eyes. No matter how many times anyone told him he should get a haircut, he just couldn't seem to quite bring himself to do it. Part of it was because he was lazy about the whole "looking good" thing. But another part was because he liked it. It helped sell the whole "innocent kid" look, which he thought was one of his biggest weapons. It helped that he still looked younger than he really was.

Someone knocked on the door moments before he reached it. It turned out to be Wasabi, checking in on him to make sure he was ready to go. Fred was bouncing up and down again not far behind him. GoGo and Honey were also waiting for them, each wearing a fresh outfit, though none of them seemed to have damp hair. Even Fred had cleaned up a little.

"I hope you're ready for some amazing food," Fred gushed as Hiro led Baymax out of his room. "Because no matter if Tony cooked or had something catered, the food will be amazing!" He continued on this line as they headed towards the elevators, the mascot pushing the button for the appropriate floor. "Seriously, though, the food here is top notch."

Wasabi couldn't help but look around a bit warily as they exited on a completely different-looking floor. Whereas the previous floor had almost resembled a hotel, this one decidedly looked more personal, like an apartment or something. Maybe it was the penthouse because there was a short entrance-way before they entered into what could be seen as either a recreational area or an open bar, except no one was tending the bar area.

"This way, guys," Fred called as he led them past the long counter and through another door. "I think they wanted to keep things pretty low key today so I'm willing to bet they'll be waiting for us in Tony's private kitchen. Am I right, JARVIS?" He glanced upward, as if the invisible butler would magically appear if he did.

"As astute as ever," JARVIS replied. "I will inform them of your arrival."

Baymax tilted his head in curiosity. "I do not detect any life signs that can be associated with this voice," he admitted. "Is JARVIS a person?"

Hiro laughed. "No. I guess he's Tony's version of you, except without the huggable vinyl body and killer medical skills."

"I see," Baymax replied to that. He blinked as his scanner took in all the different aspects of the area they walked through. Though he had not been originally programmed to look for electronic devices, it was something he had learned to do once they'd created the Big Hero team. It helped a lot on their various missions, especially since he had the ability to see through most materials. "I am Baymax," he introduce himself as he gave a little wave, pausing to do. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," JARVIS replied as they passed through a short hallway. "Miss Potts and the others are waiting for you just ahead." With that, he went silent.

Fred seemed to do a little victory dance. "Oh yeah! This is so cool! Not only did you get to meet Iron Man, but now you get to meet his girlfriend! She's also like the CEO of Stark Industries!"

Tony came up behind them from one side as they entered the room. "It's not like," he corrected. "She _is_ the CEO, and a really good one at that, right, Pepper?" He flashed an affectionate grin her way. She stood on the other end of the dining area they'd entered.

Pepper Potts walked forward, giving Tony a playful smack to the chest, her cheeks slightly red. "Flatterer," she teased before moving towards their guests. "Welcome. I'm Pepper Potts, but you can call me Pepper. I hope you had a safe trip. I also hope you're hungry because we've got a lot of food ready for you." She turned to indicate the far counter with food laid out buffet style.

GoGo nodded in appreciation. "They're not holding anything back, are they," she commented as she moved towards the food. There was a very nice selection of various food truck offerings. And, from the looks of things, none of the food present showed any signs of containing peanuts, leading her to believe they'd done their homework. Someone had to look out for Hiro, after all.

Baymax waddled forward, drawing Tony Stark's attention. "Hello," he greeted the man. "I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion."

Tony couldn't help but blink at the robot. "Is this the robot you were talking about?" he glanced over at Fred, only to get a nod in return. He began to circle the inflatable marshmallow. "Not bad, not bad," he mumbled. "Carbon fiber by the looks of it. Vinyl?" He glanced up at Hiro with raised brows, who hadn't moved towards the food just yet.

Hiro shrugged. "Yeah. It was my brother's original design, though I've improved on it a bit since then. I made the vinyl thicker so it won't tear as easily and reinforced the interior structure for greater stability. That and it just kind of makes him more huggable and non-threatening, you know?"

"Relax, kid," Tony said as he ruffled Hiro's hair. "I'm not criticizing. Just intrigued. I've never actually seen a healthcare bot that worked. You said your brother designed him?"

Hiro shrugged. "He did all of the programming and initial work. Like I said, I just improved on the exterior stuff."

The genius billionaire nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. Well, I guess if something goes wrong while you're here, we all know who to contact."

Wasabi passed them with a loaded plate, even with his food carefully placed for maximum space and separation of different foods. "Are you guys going to talk shop all afternoon or are you actually going to join us?"

Giving a bit of a sheepish laugh, Hiro ducked around his idol to join the rest of his friends at the buffet table. He was hungry. He just didn't want his stomach grumbling loud enough to alert the rest of the group to that point. That and there was plenty of time to geek over each others' various creations later.


	6. Don't Go Wandering Off

The conference center where the Student Science and Tech Expo was to be held was huge, just like the rest of the campus. Hiro couldn't help but stare as they drove past. Thanks to one of Stark's drivers, they didn't actually have to use Wasabi's van to get there. Not only did it save on gas but it saved them on parking and traffic. Let someone else drive. And the van Mr. Stark provided was more than large enough to transport them and their equipment, not that they'd brought it with them. They'd also left Baymax back at Stark Tower, just to be safe.

The fact that even Fred seemed impressed was a sign in of itself. NYU took up several city blocks. It was a veritable maze of buildings, quads and streets. The fact that several other schools were sandwiched into the same area didn't help. But at least their driver was knowledgeable and knew where to go, which helped. It was even better that all they had to do was call when they were ready to go back and someone would be there to pick them up.

"Let's do this," GoGo said as she readjusted her leather jacket, staring at the tall conference hall in front of them. It made the SFIT Auditorium look small. She marched right up to the front entrance, Fred following right behind her. The others moved at a somewhat slower pace, trying to take it all in.

Hiro couldn't help but feel a sense of dread fill him as he entered the front foyer. If the main entrance was this big, just how large was the main exhibit hall? Not to mention the stage where he'd be presenting his project. It no longer mattered that he'd done this before. Even the improvements he'd added didn't seem enough to compensate for his rising anxiety.

GoGo looked around to see where their youngest member had gone. Everyone else was already standing in line at the registration desk. "Hey, doofus! Over here!" she called out to him and he meekly went to join them. "You could just as easily get lost here as anywhere so don't go wandering off. You're aunt will kill us if we lose you."

Despite all his years of college, and his experience as a super hero, Hiro couldn't help but feel small and just as insecure as he had the day he'd entered that showcase back in California. This school was on a whole other level. And this block just housed the technology stuff! He knew, from looking at a map earlier, that each different 'school' had its own buildings, housing, and whatnot. And each was at least a city block in size. No wonder he'd seen massive public transit vehicles everywhere outside, with stops almost every hundred feet. It would take forever to get anywhere by foot.

It took him a moment to realize he was the next in line to pick up his registration packet. But when he did, he all but scuttled forward like a scared mouse to register his name. If the woman at the desk seemed to look at him with an odd expression, he didn't notice it. After all, most people still seemed weirded out by the idea of someone so young having such an advanced education under his belt, even if he wasn't quite ready for graduation. He could well have a job in the industry long before he was eighteen and he knew it.

With a bit of a nudge, Honey led the way into the actual auditorium. She pulled out the map they'd given her at the front desk, trying to figure out the maze of booths and partitioned areas they'd marked out. Looking a little more energetic, she pointed towards one section of the hall. "Looks like we're mostly over in the Northwest corner," she announced. "Our designated areas should be pretty close together since we're the only representatives from our school."

Her guess was right on the money and they soon found their respective spaces. Since Hiro didn't have one, he took the opportunity to just wander around the area, getting familiar with it in the off chance he might need to know it for later. That and it was fun to see the more local students setting up their stuff. The others joined him after making sure they knew exactly where to go for tomorrow.

"There sure are a lot of exhibits," Wasabi commented, his eyes bugging out.

The hall was split into four main areas, engineering, physics, applied, and computer programming. Normally, they would have been split up but, as a special favor, they'd been allowed to have their booths together. "Can you imagine all these areas just filled with experiments?" Honey breathed as they walked around.

A few professors seemed to be helping the resident students with their projects as they set up posters boards and basic equipment. It was a little weird to think that in just one day, this place would be teeming with people trying to get everything ready to go. Maybe it would have been a better idea to try and set up that evening, Hiro mused. Well, he could at least help his friends. And since they all knew their projects inside and out, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle to put things together. It would be like clockwork, easy peesy and all that.

Several students passed between Hiro and the rest of his group, separating them. When he could look up again to see where they'd gone, he discovered he was alone. Either they'd turned off down one of the many rows or had just gone on without him, not realizing he wasn't right behind them. He pursed his lips, letting out a sigh. Well, he had a map too. And, if worse came to worse, they all had their cell phones. He just hoped the building got good reception.

* * *

Kally frowned at her laptop. She'd managed to send the necessary files to Professor Othin but she'd somehow managed to leave her flash drive back at the auditorium. It was just her luck! Why couldn't she have a good day for once in a blue moon? Things had decidedly not been easy while working on her project. True it was only a simplified version of what she'd really been working on, but still! There was one set back after the other.

"You seem distracted," a female voice said from her laptop. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

She shook her head, knowing her AI could see her through the camera on top of the computer. "I wish. But unless you know a way to teleport me over to the expo, not really."

"Unfortunately, I do not have access to such a device," Sammy answered. She'd named it after a cat she'd had as a child. "I can, however, give you the schedule for the school transportation system."

Kally shook her head again. "That's okay. The walk will do me good. It's not like I have anything better to do today." Classes hadn't been canceled but she'd been excused from them for the duration of the expo. It was only fair when one took into consideration that all the students who'd traveled also got to get out of class. In exchange, she was expected to write a paper about her experience with the expo for her humanities class and share her project report with her various teachers in programming and basic engineering, along with a demonstration. She was not looking forward to that part.

Realizing there was nothing else for it but to get up and go, she closed down her laptop and slipped it back into its sleeve, which she put under her bed. It wasn't that she didn't trust her dorm mate, but she felt better knowing it was out of sight. After all, it did currently house Sammy, Sam for short, though she could just as easily transfer her over to her phone or something else. The darn thing had enough memory for it. But she didn't want to risk her creation talking when she least wanted the attention. No one else knew she'd finished the program. Or written it, for that matter. The next task was creating an actual body of some sort for her. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of asking for help on that one but contemplated the possibility.

A brisk breeze had picked up by the time she made it down to the street separating her from the rest of campus. It whipped her hair around and she quickly pulled it back into a ponytail. It still whipped around but at least it wasn't in her face.

"Look out!" someone driving one of those golf carts yelled as he breezed past on the sidewalk. She doubted he'd even looked to see if anyone was coming. Sidewalks were for walking, not driving. With a sigh, she crossed the street and headed towards her destination.

* * *

Hiro turned around another corner inside the auditorium. Man he wished he had Baymax with him! Finding his friends would be so much easier that way. Why on earth hadn't they tried calling him yet? He pulled out his phone and realized why. His phone was on silent. And he had several missed calls from every one of his friends. Oops.

He let his arms drop back down to his sides as he stood near one of the exhibits. This one was already partially put up, with posters and a table set up for something. Judging from the information on the dividing walls, whoever manned this booth was into programming. Well, it was as good a landmark as any, he supposed as he dialed the last number to call his, Wasabi.

"Where in the world are you!?" Wasabi's irate voice came over the phone, sounding much louder than normal. "We've been trying to contact you for like the last fifteen minutes!"

The teen genius laughed nervously. "S-sorry! My phone was on silent and I kinda got lost," he admitted. "But I'm still inside the auditorium, near the programming section. I think I'm somewhere near the middle of that block?" He wasn't sure and craned around to try and find any better landmarks. There were still too many people setting up stuff, moving around, to use any of them as landmarks.

"Just don't go anywhere!" Wasabi ordered. "Stay right where you and we'll find you." Then the line went dead as he hung up.

Hiro went to lean against the table. "Well, that went well," he commented to himself. He gave the booth a little look around, realizing there was a flash drive on the floor. Someone would definitely be missing that soon, if they weren't already. He retrieved it and stuck it in his pocket. Then something across the aisle caught his eye and he went over to investigate.

A few minutes later, he couldn't help but turn around at a loud exclamation of what could only be panic. "Please be here! Please be here! You have to be here!" The sound of a table scraping against tiled floor sounded and he couldn't help but cover his ears as he watched a girl frantically search the area. The flash drive seemed to jab into his thigh as he realized what she must be looking for.

Feeling a bit foolish, mostly because he should have known the drive's owner would be back for it, Hiro pulled the device from his pocket and held it out. "Um…" he started, "are you looking for this?"

Kally all but flew to him as he held out the flash drive. "Oh my gosh! Where did you find it!?" She grabbed the portable data drive and stuffed it into her pocket. "You have no idea how much you've saved me!" She paused for a moment to realize something. The young man who'd held out her flash drive wasn't just any typical student. In fact, he looked really young to be in college. Was he visiting someone? "Um… thanks," she added awkwardly.

Hiro rubbed one hand behind his ear, looking a little sheepish. Why was she giving him such a funny look? Had he not washed all the shampoo out of his hair? Or had he somehow managed to get something on his face? He resisted the urge to pull out his phone and check. "Uh, it was on the floor," he replied. "I hope it wasn't damaged or anything. I know how annoying that can be."

It took a moment for Kally's brain to catch up with her. She blinked a few times as she realized this kid, whoever he was, was wearing an SFIT hoodie over a red t-shirt. "You're not just visiting, are you?" she asked hesitantly. Professor Othin _had_ said there would be someone else her age at the exhibition. Was this guy the one?

"Uh, yeah, not really," Hiro said, still running one hand through his hair. "I mean, I'm presenting but I'm not the only one in my group, if that makes sense."

Before Kally could say anything else, a group of older students converged on Hiro's location. "Hiro! There you are!" GoGo called out with a heavy dose of sarcasm. "Do you have any idea how many rows we had to go down just to find you?"

Hiro laughed sheepishly, ducking his head, hand still in his hair like it was stuck with glue. "Sorry, guys. At least I didn't leave the area." He gave them a rather awkward smile.

"Do you realize you almost gave me a heart attack?" Wasabi complained. "There one moment, gone the next? Your aunt was totally going to kill us if we didn't find you!"

Fred rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, little dude. They didn't even call her," he said confidentially to his little buddy. "Promise. They were all too busy freaking out. I remained chill though. Figured you'd just gotten distracted or something. Knew we'd find you eventually."

Kally eyed the tall blonde, the only one of the group you hadn't spoken yet. She'd briefly seen her earlier in the hall. Now she knew why she'd looked just about as frantic as she'd felt at the time. Not wanting to be confrontation, or involve herself in this little reunion, she tried to shuffle around the table and out in the walkway without being noticed, but no dice.

Honey turned to Kally with a bright smile. "Thank you so much for waiting with Hiro!" she beamed. "It's hard for him to meet new people."

Hiro looked decidedly uncomfortable about this, knowing Honey couldn't be more wrong about her statement. He shuffled his feet, not sure what to say. It reminded him of that one time Aunt Cass had taken him and Tadashi to an amusement park, only for him to get lost. He'd only been curious about how the rides worked, but she'd acted like he'd been kidnapped or something. Well, Honey was nothing if not maternal. He supposed he could understand, though he wished they'd all turn it down a notch. It wasn't like he was fourteen anymore.

Kally couldn't help but look like a deer caught in headlights. "Uh… sure." She glanced over at Hiro. That's what they'd called him, wasn't it? And gave him a confused look. Who where these people? Obviously this guy knew them or they wouldn't be acting like this. They were all decidedly older. Students? Relatives? Guardians? Any of the above was possible.

"Don't you EVER disappear on us again!" Wasabi continued his tirade.

Hiro decided this had gone on long enough. Weren't they going a tad overboard? "Guys, it's fine. I'm fine. You're fine. We're all fine. No one kidnapped me. No one murdered me. It's all good."

GoGo apparently didn't quite agree with him as she glared at him, one hand on her hip, her weight distributed to one side. "Aren't you forgetting what happened last time you went missing?" she pressed.

How _could_ he forget, Hiro wondered. It wasn't his fault some alien powers decided to kidnap him and place him in the hands of an idiot who'd gone completely mental on everyone. That and turning into a toddler, being randomly targeted by alien energy... Okay, so they had a point, but still! It had been several months since anything had happened and he wasn't about to break that streak. "Seriously?" he asked instead. He refused to fall into the bait of "it was one time", knowing they'd start hashing out all the other times he'd gone missing and it hadn't ended up well. He gave a pointed half nudge towards his yet unnamed companion. "Do we have to do this now?"

Honey seemed to get the hint before the other two irate friends did. "You're right," she agreed pleasantly. "At least we found you and that's what's important."

Okay, Kally thought as she watched this all unfold. Either they were all some kind of nut jobs or this Hiro kid had a habit of getting into trouble. Despite his innocent look, she somehow didn't find the idea surprising. He did look like he might need someone to look out for him. Of course, first impressions could always be misleading.

"Sorry to cause you so much trouble," Honey said, turning her attention to Kally. "Thanks again."

GoGo latched onto Hiro's shoulder and turned him. "Come on, dingbat. The car's waiting for us. Let's go." She propelled him forward, giving him only a moment to meekly turn back with a hesitant little wave before he was out of range.

Kally looked down at the ground. "I didn't do anything," she said modestly. She hadn't missed Hiro's look and wondered what it mean. Did he mean to try and find her again during the exhibition? Or was he trying to apologize?


	7. You Still Are A Kid

"I seriously don't know what you were thinking!" Wasabi complained the moment they got out of the van and into the elevator at Stark Tower. For all intents and purposes, they were alone, five college students in an elevator. "I know I said I almost had a heart attack. I lied. I think I really _did_ have a heart attack!"

GoGo rolled her eyes as she chewed her gum. She had a bored expression on her face as she listened to her companion rip Hiro a new one. She couldn't entirely blame him. What with Hiro's track record, it gave rise to the need for worrying. All the same, she wasn't sure his method was the best to drive his point home. He'd remained oddly silent the entire drive back, only to let it all out the moment they were in some place "private".

Hiro hung his head, though his hands had balled up into fists. He'd really hoped they'd avoid this whole fiasco. But apparently Wasabi hadn't gotten over his emotional reaction to everything yet and felt a need to vent. Well, he would let him vent. Part of him wanted to lash back but knew it wouldn't do any good. In fact it might make Wasabi even more irate. "Okay, I'm sorry," he said instead, subconsciously putting in a hint of asperity in his tone. "You were worried. I'm sorry a group of other students separated me from you. It wasn't my fault. For the record, I did try to look for you guys and I did _not_ leave the auditorium. It's not like I'm fourteen anymore, or fifteen for that matter."

Wasabi scowled, arms folded tightly across his chest. "That's not the point. We couldn't even _reach_ you! Your phone was off! For all we knew you'd been kidnapped!"

Fred glanced nervously around. "Um, GoGo, don't you think you should stop him or something?" He bounced nervously on the balls of his feet. "I mean, it's not like Hiro was trying to worry us or anything. Don't you think he's had enough?" And while Fred understood Wasabi's concern, he couldn't help but feel the man was way out of line with his tirade.

With a sigh, GoGo decided she had to agree. "What Fred said," she pointed one thumb at the mascot. "Look, I'm sure he gets the point, Wasabi. There's no need to grind it in until it draws blood. Seriously. Did we come here to argue or did we come here to kick some science butt?"

The elevator dinged, saving Wasabi from having to answer as it stopped at one of the floors on the way up. No one inside, unfortunately, was prepared to see Pepper Potts with a tablet in hand staring at them in shock. She looked up in time to keep from running into any of them but it was obvious she'd walked into an argument. "Maybe I'll just wait for the next one," she hesitated, her foot triggering the sensor to hold the elevator doors open.

"Oh, hey Pepper," Fred waved cheerfully, the only one of the group to actually smile. "How's it going? There's more than enough room if you need a lift."

Still looking uncertain, Pepper stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. She turned to face the door, ignoring the others inside, who had gone uncomfortably silent.

The chime dinged again, indicating they'd arrived at the floor desired and Honey excused herself as she slipped past the red-haired woman. She was followed by Wasabi and GoGo, who dragged Fred along with her. But before Hiro even thought about exiting, the doors closed once more and the elevator continued up towards the penthouse level. His expression looked a bit stricken at the unexpected turn of events but there didn't seem to be much he could do about it.

The elevator chimed again and the doors opened. Pepper stepped out but turned to look back at Hiro. "Are you coming? Or do you plan on going back down before your friends cool off?"

Hiro hurriedly scrambled off the elevator at her words. "Better to let them cool off," he said quickly. "I know they mean well, but sometimes it's just..."

"A little over the top?" Pepper smiled knowingly as she continued into the main area with its bar, where she set the tablet down. "I can relate to that."

Tony entered from the other side of the room, carrying a drink in one hand. "Can relate to what?" he asked, looking over his sunglasses at the duo entering his domain. "Something wrong?" He set his drink down on the counter and leaned against it as he watched his favorite girl and one of his guests move closer.

"Something like that," Pepper said with a hint of bemusement. "Hiro's friends are being a little more maternal than he wants to deal with right now. So I intervened a bit and brought him up here."

Hiro hesitantly followed the CEO of Stark Industries into the room, only suffering a mild heart attack when she told Tony the gist of what had happened, or what she'd seen happen. How she'd known the contents of his friends' concern was beyond him. Then he remembered JARVIS. Had the AI listened in on their conversation and told Pepper about it? His stomach lurched at the idea. If so, they'd have to be a lot more careful about what any of them said while inside the tower. Of course it was also possible that Wasabi had been so loud that anyone standing near the elevator could hear him. He was surprised to learn she was the one to close the elevator doors before he could exit with his friends.

"Maternal, eh?" Tony inquired as he scooted to stand behind the bar, taking another swig of his drink. "Treating you like a kid? Well, I do have some news for you on that end. Technically speaking, you still _are_ a kid."

Pepper gave him a wry look as she joined him behind the bar. "Tony, that's hardly helpful. After all, Hiro is in college. I'm sure he can take care of himself."

But Hiro shook his head. "I can't say as I really blame them," he defended. "I mean, there have been a lot of things that kind of warrant it, I guess." He trailed off as he took up residence on one of the stools facing the bar. "I just wish they'd tone it down already. The last time they really had to worry was several months ago and I'm sixteen now. I somehow doubt anyone will try anything here."

Tony and Pepper exchanged glances, remembering the reports of potentially stolen plans to Stark Tower. No one had yet been able to confirm whether the thief had gotten away with anything yet or not. Tony had asked JARVIS look into it as well, but no dice. Either they had or they hadn't. The real question, both supposed, was why. Was someone targeting Tony? Their guests? The Avengers? Or were they after something else? Any and or all of the above were possible. They did house some pretty interesting artifacts from the Battle of New York.

Pepper gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sure they're just looking out for you. The fact that you're even here can be considered a great achievement. And since this is a long way from home, maybe they're entitled to a bit more concern than usual."

Hiro sighed as he leaned one elbow against the top of the counter. "I guess. I'm just tired of being treated like the little guy. Everyone's always worried about whether or not something's going to happen to me. I mean I know it's been rough and everything, but—"

"It undermines your confidence," Tony finished for him. He reached for a bottle and poured more amber liquid into his cup. "Want some?" He quirked an inquiring brow at Hiro.

"Tony!" Pepper resisted the urge to smack him. "He's still a minor! You can't just go offering him alcohol!"

Hiro couldn't help but laugh at that. "Funny thing, you're actually not the first." His thoughts roamed to Jack Harkness and that one Japanese restaurant he'd taken him that one time. The captain had offered him sake, which he'd refused. "I have a friend who tried to give me a drink when I was still fourteen."

Tony gave a wry but interested look. "Oh really. Sounds like my kind of guy. Think I could meet him?" He leaned on the counter only to pull back when Pepper _did_ smack him. "Hey!" he complained at her warning expression.

Still chuckling, Hiro shook his head. "Actually, I'm not really sure where he is right now," he confessed. "Last I heard, he was somewhere near Budapest on some top secret mission."

"Oh really," Stark commented, his eyebrows rose at this unexpected turn of events. "Top secret missions in foreign countries. Definitely sounds like my kind of guy."

Pepper looked like she was ready to smack him one more time but didn't. She was smiling though, which tipped Hiro into thinking she was more in a teasing mode than anything else. In the end, she shook her head as she poured herself something Hiro couldn't identify and downed it. "I have a meeting to go to," she announced. "You two behave yourself." She glanced more at Tony than Hiro, giving the older male a decidedly stern look before leaving the room.

Tony pulled out a can of coke and placed it in front of Hiro, dribbling a bit more amber liquid into his own cup before walking around the bar to sit next to his guest. "Let me tell you a little something about women," he said. "They can be as complex as an intertwining highway and as simple as binary code."

Hiro blinked a bit at that. While binary was simple when compared to other computer languages, to those who didn't understand it, it was something else entirely. "Um..." he said before opening his can of soda. "I'll take your word for it."

"You do that," Stark said, giving him a firm pat on the back. "If you ever find one that even remotely interests you, run. More often than not, they can see right through us. But when they can't, they jump to the strangest conclusions. It's best to just avoid that mess, if you know what I mean."

Looking more than a little uncomfortable at the turn of conversation, Hiro decided his friends had had long enough to cool down. He should probably apologize to them. After all, he could have checked his phone sooner. He wasn't entirely outside the blame. "I'm just going to go check on my friends now," he hedged as he slid off the stool, taking his drink with him.

Tony watched him leave the room. "Looks like I've found another person who's just as complicated as I am," he mused.

"So it would seem, sir," JARVIS replied wryly.

* * *

Kally sighed in relief. The flash drive hadn't been damaged. There was at least that good bit of news. She still didn't know what to make of that rather odd encounter she'd had while retrieving the drive. But the name Hiro ran through her head like a mantra. Who was that kid?

"I am glad you were able to retrieve your missing drive," Sam said as Kally double-checked all her data.

With another outlet of breath, Kally nodded. "Me too." She began typing, adding in some details to her report. She'd go to the computer lab later and print it all out. There was more than enough time to get that part done. "Sam, could you do me a favor?" she asked as her fingers hovered over the keyboard.

"You know I am willing to assist you in any way possible," Sam responded.

Kally chewed on the inside of her cheek. Maybe it was time to end that bad habit, she mused, but brushed the thought aside. "I met someone while at the exhibition hall," she admitted. "I was wondering if you could look up his name and tell me if he's attending."

"Sure. What's the name?"

Okay, here was the real problem, because she didn't know the last name. But the one she had wasn't too common. At least she didn't think it was. It sounded Japanese, which he'd kinda looked. Maybe he was mix or something. Or full. Anything was possible. "Hiro," she finally answered. "He's about my age, a couple inches shorter than I am, with dark messy hair and brown eyes. Probably Japanese."

"Please wait while I access the registration information for the exhibition."

While she waited, Kally put the laptop to one side and reached for her notebook. She kept it hidden under the bottom drawer of her nightstand. One could never be too careful. It wasn't that she didn't trust her roommate. She just didn't trust the security in the dorm. Those locks were flimsy. Turning to a specific page, she picked up an apple she'd saved from dinner and bit into it.

There were all kinds of runes etched with pencil all over the page. They were something she'd seen in dreams and just couldn't get out of her head. She wasn't sure what all they meant, though she knew they meant something. Norse, probably. At least that's what one of her fellow classmates had told her. She hadn't gotten much more out of him before he'd wandered off. Chances were good she'd get farther along doing an internet search but she was stubborn and wanted to find out on her own. So, instead of asking Sam to help her, she pulled out the Norse mythology book she'd checked out from the library and sat down, trying to compare the symbols.

But before she could really get into her self-appointed task, Sam made the laptop screen flash to catch her attention. "I have found a match to your query," the AI announced. "Hiro Hamada, resident of San Fransokyo. He is currently enrolled at the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology in the robotics program. Hiro turned sixteen almost two months ago. He is currently scheduled to present a robotics project on day two of the exhibition."

Insert a dime, get a quarter's worth, Kally thought in amusement. Well, she had designed Sammy to be efficient and thorough. She'd only left out birth date, medical history, and family details, all of which she really didn't need to know at the moment. Sammy had also been programmed to help keep people's vital data private. Of course, with the information that he'd recently turned sixteen, she could guess a general date for his actual birthday. The information given also meant he was a couple months older than her. She still hadn't reached the sixteen year mark. "You wouldn't happen to know where he's staying, would you?" she inquired, only half serious.

"Unfortunately, I am unable to determine where Hiro Hamada is staying," Sam apologized. "I do not believe he is a registered guest at any of the area hotels."

Figures, Kally thought. Chances were good his name wasn't on the registrar for any room. He was still a minor, after all. He was probably staying with one of those guys who had come over and essentially claimed him. If that were the case, the only way she'd find out where he was staying would be to ask outright since she didn't know any of his companions' names. Well, there was time for that. She could try and find him tomorrow night at the welcome dinner. And even if they didn't cross paths there, she could check out his presentation and maybe catch up with him afterwards.


	8. Curious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As an early Christmas gift of sorts, I am posting the next chapter early. I don't want to interrupt my holiday making and don't want to interrupt yours either. Expect the next chapter after this sometime next week.  
> .........................

Hiro stared up at the ceiling of his room. It was still hard to believe he was sleeping under the same roof as Tony freaking Stark. At least he'd gotten back into the good graces of the rest of his team, namely Wasabi. GoGo hadn't seemed that put out by things and Honey Lemon was just glad he was okay. Fred was chill about the whole thing, at least on the surface, though Hiro suspected he might be holding back on that end. All the same, he was still sleeping under the same roof as Iron Man and that had to be the coolest thing on the planet anyone could boast about.

"You appear to be having difficulty falling asleep," Baymax observed as he stood near the head of the bed, off to Hiro's left side. "Would you like me to play some white noise to help you relax? I recommend sounds of the ocean. I can also play the sounds of San Fransokyo at night."

Hiro shook his head as he lay with his hands behind his head. "That's okay, buddy," he replied. "I've just got a lot on my mind. I'll probably have no problem sleeping once I go through everything." He continued to stare up at the ceiling. So many things had changed in such a short span of time. And now Tony Stark was giving him advice about women. What was up with that? Sure it was in response to Pepper, probably. But what in the world was he thinking? He hadn't even begun to think about dating, let alone about girls.

Okay, so maybe that wasn't strictly true. He was curious, if only a little though. But he had more pressing things on his mind, like how big that auditorium was, or how many people were likely going to be there when he gave his presentation. Now those were things to worry about. The last time he'd given a presentation like that had been to a relatively small crowd, with Tadashi there for moral support. Except he wouldn't be there this time around. At least not physically.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Baymax inquired when Hiro didn't divulge any further information. "Sometimes it is good to talk to someone. It may help calm any anxieties you may be feeling." It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize there was more to Hiro's distraction than simple awe. That and it helped that the healthcare bot could monitor Hiro's vitals in real time.

Hiro turned towards his vinyl companion. "It's just-I don't know." He sat up a bit so he could run one hand through his hair while still looking Baymax in the eyes. "The last time I gave any presentation like this, I had Tadashi with me. And even though I'm more okay with how things happened, I still miss him. That and sleeping under the same roof as Iron Man and meeting that girl today- I just... there's just a lot going on right now."

Baymax detected a slight change in Hiro's heart rate when he mentioned meeting someone outside of his usual group. But it just as quickly went back to normal. However, when he checked on the recorded data, he confirmed the anomaly. "You did not mention meeting anyone of the opposite gender earlier," he stated with a tilt of his head.

The teen genius wasn't sure why Baymax had brought that up, especially when he'd listed off a whole bunch of other worries that were decidedly more pressing. He didn't even know her name. And while he might run into her again during the expo, he wasn't sure if he could muster the courage to go up and ask. "It wasn't any big deal," he fibbed, his heart lurching just a bit at the half truth. "I ran into her when I got separated from everyone else, found her flash drive, and that was the end of it." He let out a sigh as he flopped back against the pillow.

"Your vital signs would suggest otherwise," Baymax informed as he leaned slightly forward. It wasn't the first time Hiro had taken an interest in another girl. Of course, what with being a college student and a super hero, he hadn't exactly done anything to follow up on it either. He hadn't exhibited any of the classic symptoms associated with attraction for some time. Maybe that was slowly changing.

Hiro rolled his eyes. "Oh they do, do they?" he quipped as he rolled to face the other side of the room. "How can I go to sleep if you keep talking to me about trivial stuff?" He frowned at the far wall, knowing Baymax was far too smart to know this was over. Chances were good he might even bring it back up at an awkward moment. "And don't tell anyone about it either," he ordered.

If Baymax had a mouth, he might have smiled. Two-odd years had taught him the basics of human emotions. And while he couldn't exactly show emotion back, or necessarily understand it as well as he'd like, he did understand the chemical reactions resulting from the different emotions. And the reactions Hiro manifested declared loudly that this was not just an idle request. "I will refrain from mentioning it around the others," he agreed. He didn't, however, promise not to bring it up again when Hiro was alone and in a somewhat more receptive mood about it.

Sometimes Hiro wasn't sure if Baymax was completely getting what he meant but decided now was not the time to dwell on it. He needed to get some sleep before tomorrow, if for no other reason than he'd be helping his friends put their stuff together. It wouldn't do to get something wrong, not that it would happen with Wasabi's stuff. He was too careful for that. Even Honey Lemon would catch anything before it got out of hand. And GoGo didn't need much to set up her exhibit. If he was being truthful, he really just wanted to be alert enough tomorrow that he could spot various people of interest. He just wasn't ready to admit who those people were yet.

* * *

When Wasabi woke up, he couldn't help but cringe at the sound of Fred snoring. It was loud, obnoxious, and almost enough to make him request trading spaces with someone else, or request his own room. He knew the others had told him he snored, but there was no way his could be as annoying as whatever sound Fred was making. And the fact that the otaku was sleeping with his hind end in the air didn't help either. How on earth could he sleep like that? It looked like he'd face planted while crawling across the bed. The concept was simply unfathomable to him.

The fact that Fred had slept through Wasabi's alarm was also something to take into consideration. He'd never actually shared a room with Fred before. Sleeping on a floor at the lab didn't count. No one was comfortable there, or slept too deeply. The physics student usually shared a room with Hiro when he crashed at Fred's place, leaving Fred to his own devices. Of course it was also Fred's house and only made sense that he wouldn't share. But this was something completely different.

"Fred!" Wasabi called out as he went through his clothes to find the set he'd designated for today. "Fred! Wake up!"

But the mascot didn't so much as stir at his loud attempts to wake him. With a sigh, Wasabi took his toiletry bag and clothes to the bathroom to freshen up. Worse to worse, he could always find some other means to wake the guy up. Food, if nothing else was sure to do the trick. And sure it was only like six in the morning, but they still had to get their stuff packed into a vehicle of some kind and transported to the auditorium. Not to mention eating a decent breakfast and getting Hiro out of bed. That was the part Wasabi definitely wasn't looking forward to.

Wasabi brushed his teeth, making sure to floss. Each tooth had to come in order to prevent cavities. Nothing could be out of place. And since he'd taken a shower the night before, he decided he could make due with a quick wash behind the ears, in a manner of speaking. That done, he dressed for the day, making sure his hair looked decent. Not everyone could pull of that look and he wasn't about to let it look messy. It wasn't his style.

By the time he was done with his morning regime, Fred was no longer snoozing on the other bed. In fact, Fred wasn't in the room at all. He had left behind rumpled sheets, a change of clothes thrown on the floor, and a half open suitcase. Wasabi shuddered. Fred was worse than Hiro when it came to traveling. He must have been too tired to notice during the trip out. Of course Fred had been cool with just sleeping on the floor with a pillow and a blanket and had insisted on being the last one out of the room each morning so Wasabi really had no idea in what condition he'd left the hotel rooms.

Wasabi let out a sigh. "Now where have you gone?" he asked the air.

"If you are referring to Fred," JARVIS spoke up, causing Wasabi to jump, "he can be found on the penthouse level with the others of your party." The AI refrained from mentioning how Wasabi's morning routine had taken close to half an hour to complete, leaving his roommate more than enough time to get up, get dressed, and leave the room.

The OCD man balled his hands into fists. "Don't do that!" he admonished as he looked around, half expecting to see someone there. He knew JARVIS was integrated into pretty much every part of the tower but it was still disconcerting to have him address him out of the blue. Then his brain backtracked just a bit. Wait, did JARVIS mean even Hiro was awake? That was a miracle in of itself. It was now only 6:30 and Hiro didn't rise before eight if he could help it, even on a school day.

"My apologies," JARVIS offered. "I will keep your request in mind and accommodate it as much as possible. Do you need me to guide you to the appropriate floor?"

Wasabi scowled, resisting the urge to fold his arms. Even if the AI could sense what he was doing, he still felt weird doing it in front of someone he couldn't see. "No. I got it." He had memorized the directions on their first venture up there. He wasn't about to forget how to get there.

"Very well," JARVIS responded in what could only be called a dry tone. He definitely got sarcasm and other human emotions a lot better than Baymax did. Wasabi had to give him that one, but it was still weird. "I will inform them you are on your way up."

That announcement placed Wasabi in a bit of a panic. "No! Don't do that!" But he knew it was too late when he didn't get a response back. With a sigh, he made sure his clothes were on straight before heading to the door.

* * *

Kally almost danced for joy when Professor Othin sent over one of his student aides to deliver her freshly printed poster replacement. She didn't on general principle, mostly because she didn't want to make a scene. Part of her wanted to hug the uncomfortable looking aide so she settled for trying to decrease her joy and look more professional by nodding her thanks instead.

The auditorium was already in some state of chaos as the majority of the out of town exhibitors checked in and started unloading their stuff. It was no small miracle that the aide had been able to find her and deliver the poster unscathed. In the end, she managed a quiet kind of squeal as the older student left the area and she placed the poster in its designated spot. Fingers crossed, those guys from the day before wouldn't be coming back to cause any trouble. She somehow thought the professor might have taken care of that for her, though she couldn't be sure. He'd left her a sticky note on the back of the printout. It had only two words: good luck. If he'd been there, she would have hugged him.

The final pieces of her exhibit were coming together. She'd borrowed a small handcart to transport over her holographic projector and computer mount. She'd decided it would be best to keep the program locked up until the actual start of the convention. It would be too risky to just leave it around. Much like her flash drive from the day before, something could always happen to it. But at least everything was now set up and ready to go, leaving her time to wander around and look at the other offerings.

Having come to set up a day early, she had a decided advantage over a lot of the other students she now saw in the process of trying to get their stuff together. It reminded her of watching a busy ant hill someone had taken the liberty of stepping on. There was no order to the chaos. If someone had left the ant hill alone, it might be different, but there were too many different entities at play here to allow it. Despite that, there was a sort of order to the chaos she could appreciate.

Most of the students involved in the showcase were from different schools, most inside the state of New York. But, like the group she'd run across yesterday, there were others from out of state as well. She wasn't sure just how many there were but decided it must be a lot. Rumor had it that Stark Industries used this expo as a means to weed out the potential candidates for either internships or further scholarships, all pending on the student's status with the school and how close they were to graduation. Kally had another year before she really should have to worry about it, but it wasn't unheard of for strings to be pulled, extra credits to fall into unsuspecting laps, or unpaid-and paid- internships tipping the credit scale in favor of graduating sooner than anticipated.

Of course, there were other companies out there who piggy-backed on the prestige of the exhibition, like Krei Tech. Any company with enough money or influence could hop on the sponsor train and get a free ticket to the most advanced array of students on the Eastern Coast, though, again like Krei Tech, not all were from that side of the country. She'd seen the name on the list of sponsors and remembered them because of the news reports a few years back when some psycho tried to set a doomsday device over the new Krei Tech campus and the rest of the city. At least until he'd been stopped by a band of six heroes with a very flashy color scheme. The news hadn't been quite as big on this side of the country, but it had still made some headlines.

Kally narrowly avoided getting run over by a larger cart carrying random bits of robotic components. Whoever owned that cart apparently hoped to finish putting things together throughout the day, and probably into the night. She could tell just by looking at the contents that it wasn't complete and only disassembled for easy transport. She wished that student luck with pulling it all together. They'd need it.

A couple more turns down the various rows and Kally found herself near the western end of the auditorium. This was more the south side of the building, showcasing experiments meant more for the healthcare industry. She caught a quick glimpse of the various exhibits as they were being set up. It would be interesting to go back and see them once they were completed. There were a few real promising looking ones.

Still continuing her impromptu tour through the hall, Kally almost ran into the group of students from her second trip to the auditorium the day before. Except someone was decidedly missing from the group. She recognized the tall blond, the guy with the dreadlocks, and the shorter girl with the purple hair stripe. Where was Hiro Hamada? She ducked behind one of the dividing walls further down only to peek around the divider. Nope. She wasn't mistaken. Hiro Hamada was not with his friends. She could identify them only by sight, remembering their faces and voices, even though she didn't know their names.

"No, I want it right there," one of the girls said, the one sporting short black hair with purple streaks. She didn't look like someone she'd expect in a technology building. Her clothes suggested something more athletic, like a biker. But upon further inspection, Kally realized that's exactly what the girl had brought to the exhibition.

It took Kally a moment to realize there was something unusual about the bike being put on display. They'd somehow rigged some kind of suspension system that looked like a crane so the bike hung in the air. But it was the tires that struck her as odd. They weren't the typical rubber she'd expected to see, but were solid in construction, possibly metal. It would have to be light, judging from the overall design. And the back tire wasn't actually attached to the rest, and yet it hung right where it should without any visible help. It had to be electro mag suspension. She'd bet money on it.

The tall, barrel-chested man with the dreads appeared to be installing plasti-glass around his display area. That would make it difficult for any of the judges to actually get in and look at his offering, she thought. But that didn't seem to deter the man from securing the panel anyway. If she craned her neck, she could see something someone might mistake for oddly shaped plumbing attached to two metal poles, except she knew better. This had to be something to do with physics. Judging from the computer nearby, it required some programming and a great deal of precision. There was a small tool chest sitting on a table with various tools meticulously lined up on top of it.

The beach bum guy who had seemed pretty chill about Hiro's predicament yesterday was helping with whatever the first two were doing. He could hear them bantering back and forth about how things had to be perfect, though she zoned out on what they were saying. Some of them were goofy and inane.

The one with long blond hair, the last of the group, stood out for her height, even without the high heeled shoes she seemed to like. She was busy setting up a plethora of different chemical test tubes, flutes, burners, and so forth. Her placement was just as precise as any of the others. There were no chemicals evident yet but Kally knew they'd show up eventually. What surprised her the most was an odd kind of box made out of more plasti-glass. It had what was probably a glass stand of some sort inside that looked like it was meant to hold something about the size of a golf ball. She had no idea what it was for but was curious enough to make a mental memo to visit again in the morning when the expo officially started.

And throughout all of the comings and goings, bantering and adjustments, she didn't once see Hiro Hamada. Had he gotten in trouble for wandering off? Those guys _had_ seemed pretty upset about his disappearance. Well, mostly the big guy. But they'd all seemed like a cohesive whole and it was a little weird not to have Hiro around them for whatever reason. They belonged together on a very different level than most people did. At the same time, they also worked well without him, though it didn't quite seem complete at the same time.

With a bit of a sigh of disappointment, Kally turned to go back to her booth. If he wasn't there, he wasn't there and there wasn't much she could do about it. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a bit disappointed though. Well, it was close to lunch time. Maybe he'd gone off to get everyone some food, she mused. Thinking of food reminded her that breakfast had been a long time ago and if she wanted to grab something at the cafeteria, she'd better scoot so she changed course and headed towards the nearest exit, hoping she'd be able to catch up with Hiro at some other point during the week-long event.


	9. Just Blew It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm giving you a chapter now as a sort of "Happy Holidays" give. Normal schedule for posting will resume next week.

Hiro felt a little overwhelmed as he tried to carry four bags of food. He just felt glad he'd discovered the sandwich shop close to the auditorium. That he he didn't have to go too far and risk getting lost again. It would be harder to find his way back than on previous occasions if he had. And with a handful of cash from his friends, he'd managed to purchase a decent lunch for all of them. But man did he wish he had something he could use to carry all of this stuff instead of hoping he didn't drop anything. At least he didn't have to bother with drinks. There were plenty being dispersed to the students at the showcase to keep them hydrated. There was no way he could have juggled the four sacks and a drink carton.

Okay, so maybe he should have asked one of his friends to go with him. His mistake. Those bags were getting heavy. The fact that he'd had to make their orders as specific as possible, especially Wasabi's, didn't help matters. Oh well. It was one way to work his muscles while on this trip. At least Fred didn't care of his sandwich did or didn't have pickles and onions on it, or radishes, for that matter.

Hiro took a moment to pause outside the auditorium. His arms were getting tired so he put the bags of food down on a convenient bench. He already felt ready to head back to Stark Tower and maybe take a nap. What harm would sitting down for a few minutes cause? It wasn't like they were expecting him back quite yet. And even if they were, chances were pretty good they'd lost track of just how long he'd been gone once they got going on putting their displays together.

Sleep had not been very forthcoming, even with Baymax playing the familiar sounds of home in the background. Still, he was tired and there wasn't any way to deny it. Maybe sitting down on the bench hadn't been that great of an idea. Hiro's eyes slid closed before he even realized what was happening. He had just entered a fantastic dream filled with swirling clouds and him flying on Baymax's back when someone called his name. His eyes flew open, heart pounding. He didn't recognize the voice right off the bat, or his surroundings for that matter.

Without thinking, Hiro thrust his hands out as if to ward off an imaginary foe. It took him all of three seconds to realize he'd made a horrible mistake as his eyes registered a very surprised teenage girl staring up at him from the ground. "Crap!" he uttered as he jumped to his feet to help her up. "I am so sorry!"

Kally couldn't help but stare up at him in shock. Here she'd just given up hope of running into this guy, only to find him dozing just outside the auditorium. And when she'd tried to gently wake him, he'd given some kind of strangled yell while pushing her to the ground like some kind of sleep-deprived ninja. It decidedly took her a moment to get her breath back, by which time Hiro seemed to have come back to reality, thrusting his hand towards her as a peace offering.

She couldn't help but look at his offered hand with a mix of surprise and confusion. His added inquiries about her current state also immediately went over her head as her mind tried to process what had just happened and how she'd been taken so off guard. It didn't happen often. She usually had some kind of inkling before anything went down.

Hiro reached out again as she stared at him like a fish out of water. He took her hesitant hand and gently helped her to her feet, looking more than a little embarrassed. "I'm really sorry," he apologized again. "I didn't mean to, you know, knock you over. It's just sometimes when I doze off I dream about things and well, I..." he rubbed at the back of his neck, looking a little more thoughtful now. "You know, I don't even know your name."

Kally looked into his brown eyes and saw heartfelt earnestness. She felt her own cheeks flame a bit, realizing he was still holding her hand. She quickly slipped her fingers from his, hiding her hand behind her back. "Kally," she responded as if on auto pilot, "Kally Carmichael."

For the first time since he'd woken that morning, Hiro smiled. "Nice to meet you, Kally. I'm Hiro Hamada." And though part of him had hoped to run into her again, he didn't mention it. He'd understandably hoped it would be under completely different circumstances.

At that exact moment, Hiro's phone buzzed. He jumped a little before reaching for it, looking a little reluctant as he answered it. "Uh, hey, Wasabi," he said in a hesitant tone. "Uh, no, I didn't get lost. I'm actually just right outside. Okay! Okay! You don't have to get so upset! I'm coming now!" He hung up and slipped his phone back into his pocket, once more rubbing behind his neck with one hand. "Um... looks like I gotta go."

Kally couldn't help but give him an awkward smile. "Babysitters?" She knew a bit about that from growing up.

But Hiro shook his head. "Not exactly. More like classmates. They just feel a need to look out for me on account of my age, I guess." He glanced up at her, realizing she was just about his same height, maybe half an inch or so taller. Why couldn't he put on a growth spurt already? "I mean we've been friends for a while now but they all know my aunt will kill them if I don't come back in one piece."

She gave him a quirked brow in response. "So I guess that means you need to deliver those," she pointed to the sagging bags, "as soon as possible." She winced in sympathy as he nodded, not missing his downcast expression. "Want me to go with you?" She didn't bother waiting for his reply as she picked up two of the bags.

"Uh," Hiro said but decided against discouraging her as he picked up the remaining bags. "Sure." He gave her a hint of a smile as he led the way towards the open doors of the showcase building. Maybe having her go along wasn't a bad thing. Seeing someone from the day before might even appease Wasabi's obvious hunger anger, not that he was really hungry, just upset that Hiro had taken longer than he thought necessary. So much for them getting caught up in their projects enough to lose track of time.

Kally didn't wait for further invitation as she navigated her way through the press of people. Thanks to her visiting the area where his friends were setting up, she knew her way back to them and didn't so much as deviate from her course as Hiro struggled to catch up. She did pause to wait when she was only a row away from his friends. "Sorry," she apologized when he finally caught up with her, only a little out of breath. "I'm used to walking fast."

Hiro simply nodded as he caught his breath. "It's okay. I could use the exercise." Her stamina would put any of them to shame, he thought. No wonder she looked so fit! Of course, having to walk all over campus helped a lot. He had his friends to drive him around when necessary. That and SFIT wasn't quite as large as NYU. Of course, the super hero work should make up for that but it wasn't worth worrying over. He plastered a smile on his face and took the lead.

Honey Lemon was the first to notice his return as she put down one of her beakers. "There you are! We were just about ready to send out a search party." He could tell by her expression that she was only teasing though. Her eyes widened, however, when she realized Hiro wasn't alone. "Oh, aren't you the girl from yesterday?"

Kally hung back, ducking her head a bit at the sudden attention. "Sorry," she apologized to the Latina chemist. "It's my fault Hiro took so long."

Wasabi turned around from making some adjustments to his equipment, moving around the protective glass. "It's about time! I'm starving!" He paused as he realized Hiro wasn't alone. "Oh, hello." He gave a funny little wave as he mentally backed up the bus.

Fred popped up from behind GoGo. "Oh, hey! You're like the girl we ran into yesterday when we lost Hiro!"

Hiro winced at his choice of words but decided not to comment as Kally moved awkwardly forward to shake hands with everyone in the group. "I'm Kally Carmichael," she greeted, cringing a bit at Fred's firm handshake. She laughed nervously. "I found your friend outside and thought he might need a little help." She held out the two bags she'd carried, which GoGo took from her.

"I hope you asked them to hold the mayo," Wasabi commented as he pulled out the items meant for him. "They always put too much on there." He opened the sandwich wrapping and nodded in approval. "Now that's more like it."

Hiro held out the other two bags for Honey and Fred to take. "Sorry it took so long," he hedged. "There was a long line and I did get a little turned around." He ruffled his hair in a distracted fashion, taking a moment to realize Honey was handing him back one of the bags. He looked inside only to realize it was the sandwich he'd ordered for himself, along with a bag of chips. He glanced over at Kally. "Um, did you want to split a sandwich or something? I got a BLT, heavy on the T." Baymax would be proud of him for doing that, he was sure.

Kally smiled at him, reminded of a small child looking for hopeful approval. And yet, despite that initial impression, she knew there was more maturity to him than he let on, just not the typical variety. "Sure," she agreed. She hadn't had lunch yet and felt a little awkward just watching them all eat while she hung around.

"Come here! Come here!" Honey urged, moving to clear a spot on her chemistry table.

Kally was about to protest, knowing how long it would likely take her to set things back up but had her concerns waved aside. She humbly accepted the half sandwich Hiro handed her, moving to the table to join the chemist and her friends. "Thanks." It was a little weird to hang out with people several years her age, and one her age, she corrected. It definitely didn't happen often. She was far too used to doing things on her own, with next to no support from anyone outside her foster parents.

They munched on sandwiches in companionable silence, Hiro sharing his chips with her as well. She secretly thought he looked in need of the nap she'd interrupted earlier but wisely didn't say anything. It was nice to just spend some time with someone her own age without judgment. And even though they didn't really know her, they accepted her as if they did. It was a nice feeling.

"So," GoGo spoke up, "I take it you're a student here. What are you studying?" She gave Kally a calculating glance before taking another bite of her turkey club.

Kally took a moment to finish chewing and swallowed before answering. "I uh work in computer programming," she answered, not sure how they'd take that. "I guess you could say I'm a computer engineering major."

GoGo nodded. "Nice. That's what Tadashi was going for. He was really good at programming. Well, that and robotics." She glanced quickly towards Hiro before clamming up. She hadn't meant to bring his name up and still wasn't sure how he'd react to it. Even with the craziness and all that happened, it could still be a sensitive subject. It was just sometimes hard to tell if it was going to be an exploding landmine or a dud.

Fred came to her rescue when he draped an arm around GoGo's shoulders. "So what're you working on?" he asked their guest. "I mean, Honey's got her chemical stuff, Wasabi's got his laser stuff, and GoGo's got her bike. Oh, and Hiro's got his microbots. What're you entering into the showcase?"

Kally had to blink at the unusual names. She felt sure they weren't their birth given ones but didn't bother questioning it. "I've been working on making an artificial intelligence," she admitted as she nibbled on the lettuce that had dropped from her sandwich onto the wrapper. "I'm showing a little program that's sort of like an interactive encyclopedia with built in motion sensors to give its users a sense of interacting with something more than just a program."

GoGo looked mildly impressed as she nodded. "Not bad," she admitted as she reached for a chip. "I wouldn't mind giving it a look later on. Is it all set up?"

Hiro glanced at his new friend as she shuffled her feet. "Um, well, mostly," she replied, looking down. "I mean all the hardware's set up but I'm waiting to insert the data chip with the program until tomorrow. You know, to keep it safe. I've had problems with others trying to mess up my stuff so... yeah."

"Oh!" Honey exclaimed as she came around to give Kally a hug.

The girl glanced up into Honey's eyes as surprise registered across her face. She blinked a few times, not sure how to react. "It's not like I'm unaccustomed to them being jerks," she admitted as Honey let go. "I mean, I had to keep a low profile even in high school."

"Tell me about it," Hiro groaned, remembering his high school days. If it hadn't been for his brother, he might not have made it out alive, mostly because of the bullies. Of course it had helped when he'd learned how to defend himself, something that was useful even now. "I had my fair share in high school. 'No one likes a smarty,' they'd tell me." Boy was he glad those days were over!

Kally nodded. "Exactly. It wasn't easy pretending not to care, but I survived. It's what I do, survive."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that with us," Honey announced. "We don't care if you're smart or not, how you look or any of that. Like minds need to stick together, right GoGo?"

GoGo nodded, Fred was still draped over her like a shawl. "Do you mind?" she glared at him as best she could given the situation. "I'm trying to eat here!"

Fred sort of lazily stood up, though he still seemed to slouch over. "Speaking of eating, you're going to tonight's welcome dinner, right?" he looked directly at Kally.

She couldn't help but feel a plethora of interesting emotions as her brain analyzed him. Despite his lazy attitude, she somehow doubted that was all there was to this guy. Beneath the casual facade was a calculating gaze. And though his arms might not be covered with rippling muscle, she could tell they were used to some serious physical labor. "Yes," she replied. She wasn't about to put down the offer of free food. "I think pretty much everyone will be there. Why?"

The mascot moved over to place a hand around Hiro's shoulders, his other arm over Kally's. "You should totally sit with us, right, little man?" He gave Hiro a friendly little nudge with one hip since his hands were both occupied. He followed up with a wink to his diminutive friend.

Red crept up Hiro's neck and face at Fred's unspoken suggestion. Sure he liked her, but he wasn't really sure what he _thought_ about her yet. He barely knew her and here was Fred hinting and nudging at what could only be construed as romantic interest. They couldn't all be like him and GoGo. He tugged at his shirt collar, as if that would help release the sudden heat he felt. "Uh, sure."

Kally couldn't help but feel amused by his reaction, even though she also felt a bit embarrassed by the implied suggestion. "I'd like that. Maybe we can get to know each other a bit better or something."

Wasabi finished his sandwich with a flourish, carefully folding up his sandwich wrapper before depositing it back in the bag. "Well then, we should probably get back to work putting our stuff together or it won't be ready for tomorrow," he stated, glanced at GoGo and Honey Lemon.

The two girls had already finished their food and quickly discarded the trash, brushing crumbs off the table. It wouldn't do to have them getting in the way of the experiment and messing things up later. Realizing things were wrapping up, Kally decided it was time to excuse herself. "I really should be going. I still have to print off my reports and finish the final coding on my project."

Hiro gave her a bit of an awkward wave as she moved away from the table. "Okay, guess we'll see you tonight then."

She waved as she slipped back into the walkway and moved off.

Wasabi moved to stand by Hiro. "Dude, you totally just blew it," he announced, resting one hand on Hiro's shoulder.

Hiro glanced up at his friend in confusion. "What do you mean?"

But the physics student shook his head. "Never mind. Maybe you're still too young to worry about that kind of stuff." He removed his hand and headed back to his booth to finish adjusting his equipment.

Still looking confused, Hiro turned to his other friends. "What did he mean by that?" But none of them seemed willing to answer. Honey merely smiled as she moved her equipment back into place and GoGo shook her head as she buzzed past him to return to her station. Fred just let out a little chuckle before joining her.


	10. Not Rational

Baymax watched as Hiro tried to tame his wild hair with a comb and some water. "I detect elevated blood pressure and neurotransmitter levels," he informed his charge. "You appear to be distressed. What seems to be the trouble?"

Hiro gave up on trying to smooth his hair down with a sigh. Outside of not getting enough sleep, now he was worried about his appearance. In fact, he'd worried about it so much that he'd changed into a fresh set of clothes after a lengthy shower. He was still trying to figure out what Wasabi had meant at lunch but wasn't having much luck. But now he had other things to worry about, like seeing Kally again at the welcome dinner. And now Baymax was commenting on his mental state.

"I am also detecting an increase in hormonal levels," Baymax continued as he followed Hiro over to his bed. "Such levels are not uncommon in puberty, especially when one finds an individual of interest."

Hiro turned to stare at Baymax in horror. "W-what?!" His face flooded with heat. "It's not like that! I barely even know her!"

"Diagnosis, infatuation," Baymax finished, raising one hand into the air, finger pointing upward as he drove his point home.

The teen's face flushed even more. "No way! Maybe I should run a diagnostic on you or something. There's no way this is happening! I'm not infatuated! I might think she's a little cute, but I'm definitely not infatuated." He sat down heavily on the mattress.

Baymax waddled closer. "Attraction is a normal occurrence. You should not be ashamed of your feelings."

Hiro looked down so his hair hid his face. "I'm not ashamed of them," he grumped. "Everyone's just blowing them completely out of proportion. Do I like her? Maybe. I don't really know yet. I mean I only just met her! How can I like her like that already if I barely know her? It's not rational."

"Love is not rational," Baymax informed helpfully.

But Hiro wasn't having any of that. "I'm not in love, okay? I just think she's attractive. There's a big difference."

He was saved from having to defend himself further when Fred knocked on the door before opening it. "Hey man, you ready? Everyone else has headed downstairs already." He paused at the unusual amount of red on Hiro's face but wisely chose not to comment on it.

"Yeah. Be just a sec," Hiro replied as he rushed to push Fred out of the room before turning back to Baymax. "I am not in love, okay?" he insisted. "So stop saying it." Baymax merely blinked at him as he slipped out of the partially open doorway.

* * *

The welcome dinner was being hosted in a separate building and Wasabi was more than willing to let someone else drive them over. He fidgeted a little in his seat as their chauffeur seemed to go the long way around, taking longer to get there than any trip between the Tower and the auditorium. It wasn't that he didn't trust the directions, but he was more than ready to get out of the vehicle where the tension seemed high.

Hiro continued to flame red as they drove, probably due to the looks GoGo kept sending his way. They were almost knowing smirks that threatened to make him mad, except he felt more embarrassed by them than anything. It didn't help that she and Fred were sort of snuggling up next to each other. Out of all of their team, he wasn't sure he'd exactly seen that one coming, but it made a certain sort of sense. Honey had always leaned towards Tadashi, which made her sort of a tragic figure, if they were going according to classic literature, since her true love was gone. And Wasabi hadn't exactly shown favor to anyone yet. Maybe he just hadn't found the right person. But there was no way in any realm of possibility that Hiro had any more than casual feelings for Kally Carmichael. He would defend that truth to the death if need be.

The moment the car stopped in front of a really nice looking hotel, Hiro couldn't help but wonder if they'd gotten the right address. "Are you sure this is the place?" he asked their driver, who only nodded before exiting the vehicle to help open their doors. If this really was the place, they weren't holding anything back. It was also possible this was where they'd put up the majority of those students coming from out of town. If so, it made sense to have the welcome dinner there.

"This way," a man directed as they exited the vehicle. He led them into the large front lobby and down a wide hallway that opened up into what had to be the convention room, except it was filled with round tables for sitting and buffet tables covered with food. Well, that was one way to keep down on costs, Hiro supposed. There were already a large amount of people there, some looking more lost than others. But at least no one was dressed up in anything fancy, minus the guys and ladies in suits at the front tables. Those must be the professors and sponsors. Hiro thought he saw Tony Stark at one of those tables but wasn't sure. Shouldn't he be coming in with his Iron Man suit? Well, maybe not. This wasn't Stark Expo after all.

Honey and the others had moved on without him and now stopped to wave him over. They'd found Kally in the crowd and quickly grabbed a table large enough to hold them all. "This is so exciting!" Honey enthused as everyone slowly took their seats. The food wasn't being served just yet so they opted to catch up on the day's events.

After a while, one of the men at the head tables stood and walked over to a podium placed near the table he'd just vacated. He tapped the microphone, which set off a squealing sound. Everyone winced as it was adjusted. "Pardon me," the man apologized. "We'd like to welcome you all to the annual New York University Science and Technology Expo. We have with us tonight a number of our sponsors, including representatives from Stark Industries, Krei Tech, Haedria Enterprises, and General Tech."

The respective individuals stood to a smattering of light applause. Among them were Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, and Alistair Krei, all of which the Big Heroes knew on a somewhat more personal level than anyone else in the room. There were a few others neither of their party had seen before, including a somewhat severe looking woman with her hair up in a tight bun.

"It is our hope," the man continued, "that this Expo will foster new growth in the science and technology fields while allowing each of you to meet and get to know your contemporaries from across the nation. Please do your best to work together as we explore the future!"

With another smattering of applause, the man sat back down and a signal was given for the many platters and other serving dishes to be uncovered by the staff. The various students began moving towards the food in both large and small groups. Hiro's table opted to sit back and wait for the general frenzy to die down. Chances were good there was more than enough food to go around. It wouldn't hurt anything to wait a bit for the more zealous students to go first.

Kally couldn't help but stare at the table where Tony Stark and Pepper Potts sat, chatting to each other. Fred noticed her preoccupation and grinned. "They're much cooler in person," he said, momentarily startling her. "I may not be one of the lucky people showing off their stuff this week, but I got to come along anyway because I'm friends with those guys as well as these guys." He indicated those sitting at the table. "Maybe, if we're lucky, we'll get a chance to introduce you to them later."

Hiro shook his head at Fred's antics. "We'll be lucky to catch anything more than a glimpse of them tonight," he quipped. "Do you see how many people are here? It's almost as if the entire student body of SFIT swarmed down here. We probably won't even get close to them!"

Almost as if in direct defiance of his words, Tony Stark got up from his table and strode over towards them. He looked relatively classy in a button-down shirt and slacks, wearing tinted sunglasses. He even had a toothpick stuck between his lips. Coming up behind Hiro, he placed his hands on the teen's shoulders as he watched the mob of starving students stampede the table. "Good call waiting for the frenzy to die down," he said as he gave Hiro's shoulders a squeeze. "Besides, the good stuff comes out after they finish off the first round." He gave Fred a pat on the back before moving off into the crowd.

Kally's eyes went wide as she took in the odd spectacle. "Tony Stark just came over and actually talked to you." She blinked a few times as if she couldn't trust her own eyes. "Oh my goodness! You really _do_ know Tony Stark! That is so cool!" she squealed.

Behind her back, Fred gave Hiro a thumbs-up and a conspiratorial smile. "See? What did I tell you? We totally _know_ Iron Man."

Hiro resisted the urge to face palm as the rest of his friends ignored what was going on around them. Not only was he sleep-deprived, but his friends kept sending him hidden messages that could only hint at one thing. And he was so not going there. They were just acquaintances, nothing more.

"Hey," GoGo said as she slid from her chair. "Looks like Stark was right." She nodded towards the tables where a fresh set of serving dishes were set out to replace the previous ones. By that point, most of the others had already filled plates or were at least halfway down the line. "Let's go." She came around to grab Fred by his collar, even though the mascot went willingly with her without the added persuasion.

Hiro glanced nervously at Kally. "I guess we'd better get a plate too," he tried to joke. But, taking a leaf out of Wasabi's book (mostly because Wasabi had helped Honey Lemon up), he offered his hand to Kally to escort her over to the buffet line.

Kally gave him an odd look but took his offered hand with a bemused expression on her face. "I hope they have something Asian," she said. "I've always wanted to try that."

Unfortunately, the dishes offered were more along the lines of classic cheap all-you-can-eat buffets, with fried chicken, potatoes, several different kinds of salad, soup, and other more traditional American offerings. But Hiro filed that tidbit away for later. You know, just in case he ended up going out with her somewhere later on. So long as there were no peanuts involved, he was good with most anything. And despite his allergy only being a mild one, Baymax had insisted he carry around a quick injector of epinephrine, just to be safe. Previous incarnations taught them both that allergies sometimes poked their heads out of the dark corners when you least expected them. And since he didn't have Baymax with him, it was a nice precaution.

Quiet talk ensued while they ate. And, for the most part, the others in the room were respectful. There were a few outbursts at different tables, but they were quickly subdued by either a look from an administrator or someone else at the table. All in all, it wasn't a bad dinner, though Hiro's table seemed rather quiet with no one really wanting to say anything more than general comments on the weather and how they thought the expo would go.

As the evening wore on, the same man from the beginning took the podium. "Ladies and gentleman," he began, clearing his throat. Maybe he'd had too much mac n cheese. "It is now with the greatest of pleasures, I introduce you to one of our sponsors, Mr. Tony Stark." He gestured for the tycoon to join him at the podium to loud applause. "Mr. Stark?" he moved away from the podium as Tony came up.

Tony looked a little sheepish as he scratched at the back of his head. "Hi, everyone," he greeted. "So, even though I do this kind of thing on a regular basis, I still don't usually know what to say. I'm honored to be here and I'm honored that you are all here. You are a testament to your chosen professions and I know this week will be an amazing one. There are various companies from around the world here looking to scout a bunch of you. I admit I'm no different, but you guys already knew that. So I'm just going to open up the floor for your questions. _Almost_ anything goes."

Several hands immediately shot up at various tables and Tony pointed to the closest one. "What's it like being Iron Man?"

There was a smattering of giggles from different parts of the room as Tony held up his hand for silence. "Let me put it this way, it's pretty awesome. I kicked some serious alien but out there recently, not to mention saving the planet time and time again. If I had to put it down in one word, I'd have to say exhilarating. Next question."

"Will you be my boyfriend?" a girl shouted out. Her exclamation was followed by whistling and catcalls.

Tony glanced over at Pepper, who looked like she either wanted to deck him or hide, though she was controlling both urges fairly well. He rubbed at one eyebrow while affecting a forced laugh. "Well, as tempting as that offer is, I'm going to have to decline. You see, I already have a girlfriend."

"How about a boyfriend!" a guy called out from the back, accompanied by several different males egging him on. When Hiro looked that direction, he could see a burly twenty-something male surrounded by similar guys laughing to themselves.

Mr. Stark seemed at a momentary loss of words, his lips hanging slightly open. "Again, I already am in a relationship," he managed while looking for a glass of water. One of the school administers seemed to anticipate his need and brought one over. He took a healthy swig before setting the glass down, wishing it was alcoholic. "Any other questions, aside from those about my current relationship status?"

Kally surprised Hiro when her hand shot up into the air, almost as if from a cannon. He was even more surprised when Tony pointed her direction. "Mr. Stark, I was just wondering what your company's plans are for the coming Stark Expo. We've seen a lot of cool new tech out lately, but I wondered if you could give any spoilers."

Tony seemed to stare at her for a moment. And, if anyone bothered to look, they would have seen Pepper do the same. "Yes, good question," he said, lifting the glass one more time. "While I would love to divulge such trade secrets tonight, I'm going to have to pass on that until the CEO of the company gives the okay." He glanced briefly towards his companion.

There were several boos from the audience, though nowhere near as many as there had been when he'd declined any further relationship questions. "It's not that I don't _want_ to tell you," Tony continued, and everything about his posture screamed that he did, "but I can't divulge that just yet. However, if you all want to join me at Stark Expo later on, I will let you ogle and admire to your heart's content."

One of the administrators, a woman this time, came up behind him and whispered something in Tony's ear. He looked intent for a minute or two before turning back to the microphone. "I've uh just been informed that they've set up a dessert buffet in the adjoining room for your dining pleasure, complete with chocolate fountains and cheesecake. Thank you."

The sound that erupted from the crowd was almost deafening as many of the students vacated their seats to stampede the room in question. Thankfully, the staff had a handle on that. While the majority of the room's attention was distracted, Tony tactfully retreated from the podium and returned to Pepper's side. He looked a bit put out, maybe thoughtful, but not entirely happy when Pepper gave him an admonishing look.

Hiro winced when Pepper gave Stark a smack on the shoulder, but turned away when she gave him a kiss to make up for it. Apparently romance was a strange and complicated thing and he decidedly didn't know if he wanted to ever go down that road. Well, okay maybe never was a bad way to look at it. He did eventually want to find someone, but not any time soon.

"That was a really good question," Wasabi complimented Kally. "Not like those other ones. You'd think they were only interested in him because he's Iron Man."

Kally smiled at his words. "I just figured he'd like a break from all the super hero hype. And the relationship gags. Most of those guys out there are easily impressed by a cape and a little technology. They don't even stop to take into account just what actually goes into the job."

Fred nodded at her words. "Totally," he agreed. "It's not like it's all fun and games. People get hurt all the time." He fell silent when GoGo elbowed him in the ribs.

Hiro bounced his legs up and down under the table. If they weren't careful, one of them might slip up and reveal they knew way more about the super hero business than anyone their age had any business knowing. He was so preoccupied with that thought he didn't realize Tony had come up behind him once more. "Not going for dessert?" the billionaire asked, making Hiro jump.

Honey hid a slight giggle with her napkin while Fred jumped out of his seat to come up next to the super hero. "Tony! We were totally just talking about you!"

Tony looked bemused by that. "Anything good?" he asked, wincing slightly as Pepper came up behind him with a tap to the back of his knee with hers. "Ow!" He seemed to shake himself back together. "I almost feel as though I dodged a bullet there," he admitted. "Some of those questions were getting pretty risqué, if you know what I mean."

He turned to find an empty chair and pulled it up to their table, adding a second one for Pepper. "I think we can safely relax for a moment, though," he added, giving Kally a winning smile. "Thank you for not asking about the whole Iron Man thing. I know it's pretty impressive and all that, but sometimes it gets boring hearing the same questions over and over again."

Pepper rolled her eyes as she took her seat. "He's just saying that," she added. "We all know you love it."

Tony shrugged. "What can I say? Being Iron Man is fun, even when it's not. And as I heard Fred here saying, it's not always fun and games."

Fred beamed. "See? What did I tell you guys? I've totally got the inside scoop on this! Oh, speaking of which," he moved to stand next to Kally, "Tony, Pepper, this is Kally Carmichael. I guess you could say we've kinda taken her under our week for the duration."

Suddenly brought into the lime light again, Kally couldn't help but hold out a somewhat limp hand, which Tony firmly shook. "Nice to meet you," she said. "I really do want to know what you've got planned for the Expo this year, though. With the most recent developments in artificial intelligence, do you plan on showing any programs that might showcase that? I know there have been a lot of crazy people out there hoping to cash in on that but I also know it's not that easy to create a decent AI."

Tony and Pepper exchanged glances with each other. "Well, like I said earlier," Tony began, "I can't exactly go talking about that kind of stuff. At least not here where a ton of my competitors are running around." He glanced towards his original table and the various CEOs over there. Pepper must have nudged him with one foot because he looked a little distracted before coming back to himself. "But, if you like, we can discuss that kind of stuff tomorrow night at my place over dinner."

"Say what now?" Wasabi asked, his eyes going wide. If he understood things correctly, Tony Stark had just invited the entire table to dinner tomorrow night, including their new little friend. While he'd sort of expected them to keep having meals with the famous pair, he wasn't prepared for the sudden inclusion of a relatively unknown entity. That and he'd promised to divulge the secrets of Stark Expo.

Pepper nodded. "I've been keeping an eye on potential candidates for a Spring Internship at Stark Industries," she added. "Several of your names popped up as potential candidates. I was going to ask you all to come to even if he didn't."

"Ah," Tony said, waving a finger, "but I'm going to sweeten the deal. I plan on personally cooking for all six of you."

Hiro couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by all this. Sure he'd had a few meals with Stark and Potts, but this would be under a completely different set of circumstances. "Can I bring Baymax along?" He somehow thought Kally might like to meet his robotic companion.

The two older adults exchanged quick glances before Pepper shrugged her assent. "Sure," Tony answered for the both of them. "I'd like to get to know him a bit better anyway. Besides, Pepper always says it's better to have someone handy in the kitchen when I'm cooking, just in case something happens."

Pepper rolled her eyes again. "Tony does tend to get a bit flamboyant in the kitchen," she warned. She looked up, realizing several of the students were returning to the main area so she stood. "We should probably go before someone thinks we're giving you differential treatment," she added hastily.

It took Tony a moment to realize what she meant but when he did, he quickly stood. "Right. We'll expect you all at Stark Tower say around eight tomorrow? That should give you guys plenty of time to do your thing for the day." He gave them one last glance before heading back to his original table.


	11. Chapter Eleven: Nothing's Happened

Hiro released his breath in one long exhalation through pursed lips. Okay, so maybe the evening hadn't quite gone as he'd expected. At least the guys had sent him back without them to catch up on some sleep. Apparently dozing off a few times during the evening's entertainment, post dessert, was enough to convince them their youngest member needed some down time. The others had opted to go finish prepping for the morning. It was sure to be busy, but at least the majority of participants seemed too loaded down with food to be much of a bother while they did their thing.

The teen fell back against the mattress, still fully clothed. He closed his eyes, images from that evening floating through his head. Why had he gone up to Tony during another lull and told him Kally liked the idea of Asian food? And why did he care so much about it? It didn't make sense.

The bed tilted as Baymax pressed against the edge, not enough to lift any part off the floor, but enough to bring Hiro back to the present. "Hey, buddy," he greeted the robot. Part of him wondered what the healthcare companion had done while they were gone but he chose not to ask.

"You seem to be preoccupied," Baymax observed. "Would you like to talk about it?" He blinked once or twice as Hiro stared up at him. How on earth did he manage to look so earnest when all he had was a set of eyes on his face? Better to not question it, Hiro decided.

Rolling to a sitting position, Hiro ran a hand through his hair. "It's just been a long day," he sighed. "And tomorrow is going to be a big one. I mean, probably not as big as when I give my presentation but it's still going to be something. I just don't know what to think about it all."

Baymax continued to watch his young charge, contemplating his emotional state. At the very least, he knew Hiro needed rest. But that didn't seem likely to happen any time soon, not if his emotional state didn't improve. "Did something happen?"

Hiro shook his head, not to deny anything but more because he didn't know what to say. "Not really," he finally answered. "I mean it wasn't anything big. The dinner was good, nothing too crazy. And Iron Man was pretty cool. He invited us to dinner tomorrow night, along with Kally."

The robot tilted his head to one side. "I do not know who this Kally is," he confessed. "Is she someone you met today?"

"More like yesterday," Hiro replied half-heartedly. "She's the one everyone keeps teasing me about liking. I mean, she's cute and all that but I really don't know what I think about her. And I kind of think I made a fool of myself dozing off a few times anyway. She probably thinks I'm a loser."

This was decidedly an interesting development, the robot thought. Hiro didn't often show interest in people outside of his typical group, let alone care what they thought about him. There were associations with professors and other classmates, but nothing like this. "Do your emotions confuse you?"

Hiro moved to change into his pajamas, his feet dragging. "I guess?" He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his shirt, only to quickly pull on the pajama top. It left his hair looking more messed up than usual. "I don't know. I've just never felt like this before, not even when I was younger."

Baymax wisely chose not to mention any of his previous remarks from before the dinner. Apparently Hiro was having a hard time coming to terms with what he felt, which meant anything he said about the matter probably wouldn't help. Hiro liked to figure things out on his own. He was quite stubborn about it. And when he usually came face to face with a problem, he needed space to figure it out. "Do you wish to look for a new angle?"

The teen blinked at Baymax, realizing what he meant. He was tired, though, too tired for any of that. "Not tonight," he admitted. "I think I'm actually getting a headache from lack of sleep. I could probably sleep for a week with no problem."

Finished getting ready for bed, he moved back to the warm nest of blankets he'd mussed up earlier. "Hey, can you wake me when the others get back?"

Baymax moved to help tuck in his young friend. He only blinked instead of answering. His healthcare protocols dictated that Hiro needed to rest and he was not about to interrupt his sleep simply because the others returned. If an emergency came up, that would be different. It didn't matter anyway as Hiro slipped into sleep before the robot could really come up with an answer.

* * *

Tony slouched down onto the sofa as he held a drink in one hand. He'd ditched the sunglasses as soon as he'd returned to the penthouse with Pepper, only to find Agent Coulson waiting for them. "Now what?" he sighed, not sure he really wanted to know. The evening had been trying enough with rabid fan girls, along with a few rabid fan boys. Fred's group had been the most refreshing of the lot.

Coulson stood respectfully to one side, hands behind his back as he waited for the billionaire to settle down. "We've managed to determine that the files at Stark Industries were indeed compromised," he reported. "We're still not sure what all they got but they did get at least partial plans for Stark Tower. We're still trying to determine who these people were working for though."

"Well, isn't that just great," Tony fumed as he took a drink. He glanced over to see Pepper sitting on the edge of a padded chair facing his current perch. "What do you want me to do? We already have people staying here. I remind you it was your idea to keep things low key and not cancel this whole event. If we evacuate now, it's going to draw attention. And what about that extra security you promised?" he turned his gaze to the SHIELD agent.

Coulson took a step forward. "They're already in place," he assured. "I've got my best people looking into the breach. You know that. The best thing you can do is go on as if nothing's happened. We'll let you know if things change."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Just go about my usual things? Is that all you've got? It's the same old dance and song. I could have JARVIS dance _circles_ around these hackers! Isn't that right, JARVIS?"

"Of course, sir," JARVIS agreed from one of the many speakers around the area.

But Pepper shook her head. "If there are people potentially targeting Stark Tower, I'd rather have him focus his attentions here," she disagreed. "I may not think much about SHIELD's agents-no offense," she glanced quickly at Coulson, "but the last few times didn't end well."

Coulson gave a sort of nod meant to cover up his desire to protest. "None taken," he replied before turning back to Tony. "I've got Romanoff on her way to beef up security here. She should be in tonight. I know Dr. Banner is around somewhere. Mr. Rogers has something going on somewhere else so he won't be joining us, but I'll see what I can do about getting the others here. We won't let anything happen to you or any of your guests."

Tony took another sip of his drink. "Oh, that makes me feel just so much better," he retorted. "So I get to play babysitter while the others try and figure out just what the hell is going on. Great. Just great. I have people coming over tomorrow night, I'll have you know."

"I know," Coulson answered quickly. "We've been monitoring the proceedings of the student expo. Different corporations like to take advantage of these kinds of events to recruit new material." He gave Stark a knowing look, emphasizing the potential for illegal activity. "We're trying to narrow down the list of possible targets but there are a lot of names to go through. And since we aren't sure who all might be looking, it's not going to be easy. Chances are good it might not even be related to our main emphasis."

Pepper took that opportunity to move towards Tony, taking his half finished drink from him, much to his protest. "What makes you think they might target someone at the expo?" She set the glass down on a surface outside of Tony's reach. He'd already had a couple on the way home.

Coulson briefly touched his lips as he contemplated just how much to tell them. "Stark Industries wasn't the only one hacked within the last week," he finally answered. "Contacts at NYU suggest the guest list for the expo was also stolen, or at least copied, which only goes along with my earlier point. That doesn't mean they're related."

Tony moved to stand in protest but Pepper got back to him in time to press him back down onto the cushions. "And you're still going to let them go through with this?" He couldn't help but stare incredulously at the man. "You should have listened the first time when I offered to cancel it."

The agent shrugged. "Like I said, we don't have much to go on yet. We have only speculations. But don't worry. We've beefed up security at the university as well. They're all undercover so they should blend in. It's mostly a precaution. We're running this as though you're the target. If we change anything, they'll know their hand has tipped. We can't have that happening. Not yet."

"Oh, now I'm the bait. I feel so much better," Tony quipped. He scowled at an admonishing look from Pepper. "Don't give me that," he stood and retrieved his half finished drink. "Have you ever noticed that things never go well for the bait? Sure I have my portable suit in a briefcase, but that doesn't mean everything's going to be hearts and flowers. We're talking about hundreds of innocent people wandering around while I traipse like a freaking daisy among a field of potential landmines! Mark my words; someone's going to get hurt."

Coulson looked like he wanted to say something but chose to say another. "We're not going to let that happen. We've got our best people working on figuring out what's going on."

"I _am_ your best people," Tony interrupted, only to be shushed by Pepper. "No, I won't be shushed!" he protested. "We're talking about a target you're not even sure of and a whole building of kids! I don't know about you but I'll have nightmares if this goes south."

Coulson put out his hands in a placating gesture as he took another step forward. "The last thing we want is to cause a panic. And believe me when I say we're doing our best to keep people from panicking. Please don't make this any more difficult than it has to be."

Pepper gave Tony a half pleading, half stern look. "Please," she mouthed as he stared at her incredulously.

Allowing himself to sort of hunch over in a slouch of defeat, Tony sighed once more. "Fine. But I don't like it. JARVIS, I want you keep a security sweep going every second. No, scratch that, every _nano_ second. Fred's father will kill me if anything happens to him or his friends on my watch." He mentally told himself to give the AI new instructions when Pepper wasn't around to hear them.

"Of course, sir," JARVIS replied.

Tony pointed his liquor glass at Coulson. "And you'd better make damn sure you figure this all out before something happens or I'm holding you accountable. I mean it. I'll sue the pants off of you if this goes south."

"Fine," Coulson soothed. "But if we succeed, you owe me an apology." He turned to Pepper. "Ms. Potts. Mr. Stark." With that, he left the room.

Pepper picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it at her boyfriend. "You could have been a little nicer about it," she admonished. "He's only doing his job."

Tony made a face. "He's going to get someone killed."

"Come on," Pepper urged. "You're drunk. We should get you to bed." She propelled him forward, Tony only offering token protest as she took his glass once more and set it to one side as they exited the room.


	12. Something Must Have Happened

Morning came a lot sooner than Hiro thought it should. He groaned as Baymax gently nudged him awake. "Did the others come back yet?" he asked groggily. In his semi-conscious state, he didn't immediately understand why the room was lighter than it should be. Then it came crashing down on him. "Wait. Baymax, is it morning?!" He practically jumped out of bed, not even realizing he'd actually had the first decent night's sleep in a long time.

Baymax moved in time to avoid being knocked over. "I apologize for not waking you when the others returned," he said, looking somehow downcast. "However, I deemed your need for sleep more pressing."

Hiro let out an exaggerated sigh as his body slumped forward. Okay, so maybe he'd really needed the rest. He could still feel the drowsiness trying to pull him back down. The lack of decent sleep had caught up to him. And now that he'd had one night of good sleep, his body craved even more. He let out a groan as he made his way to the bathroom. Maybe a quick shower would help him wake up faster.

The healthcare robot correctly guessed his intentions as he picked up a set of clothes from the partially opened suitcase Hiro had yet to unpack. He placed the articles of clothing just inside the bathroom door before the youth closed it. He then stood next to the door to wait. Considering the current state of his friend, he felt confident in his deduction that it might take him a while to come back out again.

"The others of your party are awake," JARVIS told the healthcare bot. The two had done quite a bit of talking while the others had been gone. And since JARVIS was really good at his job, he'd been able to multi-task at a level humans could only dream about. In fact, while informing Baymax of the others' status, he was performing the requested continual scans of the building while looking into the hacking incidents at both Stark Industries and NYU. Tony never left anything to chance if he could help it.

Baymax blinked a few times. "Thank you," he intoned in return. He had enjoyed his conversations with JARVIS. Chances were good most of those who listened in wouldn't find them that interesting, but they had brought in a lot of insight for the robot. "Please inform them Hiro is now awake and we will join them as soon as he is ready."

"Very good," JARVIS replied before going silent once more. He thought it best to let Stark's guests have their privacy, to a certain point. Obviously security took priority. It wasn't his fault he was able to keep track of their movements while inside the tower. Chalk that one up to Stark for integrating his programming into the whole structure.

Thirty minutes later, Hiro left the bathroom feeling cleaner and more awake, wearing the clothes Baymax had pulled out. It didn't hurt that most of his clothes were pretty much identical. He did have his fashion sense to keep up and didn't want to leave it to chance. There were, of course, a few variations, but they were all interchangeable. The only exception was the suit he'd worn to Tadashi's funeral, which safely sat in his closet back home.

With Baymax in tow, Hiro made his way up to breakfast with the others. Part of him disliked the idea of leaving him at home base while they were at the expo, but he knew it was better that way. Even Tony thought it a good idea, all things considered. He just hoped their host didn't mind giving the robot free reign of the place while they were gone, not that Baymax would do anything he shouldn't. It was still unusual, though Hiro appreciated it. It kept Baymax from getting bored or having to have him deactivate and reactivate all the time.

"Keep an eye on things, will you?" Hiro asked as he boarded the elevator after breakfast. The others waited almost impatiently for him so they could head out. Their driver for the day was already waiting downstairs for them. Not to mention how the expo would soon open for the day.

GoGo shifted her hips. "Can we go already?" she asked in her most sarcastic tone. She blew and popped a gum bubble as Hiro finally backed into the elevator. The others had been up way later than they probably should have and the adrenaline junky felt more inclined to be grumpier than usual. That would probably be remedied by the time she'd had her third cup of coffee.

Honey clutched the handle of the small cart used to transport her chemicals. Keeping them in her room had probably not been the best idea on the planet but at least she knew they were safe. And now all she had to do was place them in the appropriate beaker or other part of her apparatus and all would be well. Once they got to the expo.

Fred had a cup of coffee in one hand, the paper and foam kind with a lid so that he didn't lose one of Pepper's mugs. He didn't think she'd appreciate that. And Wasabi simply yawned. All of his stuff was already at the expo just waiting for him to fire it up.

The elevator descended in silence, the doors opening on the ground level. Two men in suits stood to either side of the bank of elevators with earpieces in their ears. Hiro noticed them as he exited ahead of his friends, who seemed a bit too distracted to give the men in suits much thought. This might have been due to the fact that their ride was waiting just off the walkway separating the entrance from the parking garage. He took one last glance towards the two men as he climbed in the vehicle behind everyone else, Honey's chemicals already loaded into the back. He couldn't help but wonder at the addition. Something must have happened, though he had no idea what.

* * *

Kally gulped down her nervousness as she inserted the data chip into her projector unit. An image flashed above the device and she let out her held breath in relief. It still worked. She made a few last minute modifications to the output stream but it worked, which meant no one had managed to mess with her stuff after the welcome dinner the night before.

She looked up as several other students went to their respective booths. Some were doing last minute touches like she was. But, for the most part, they didn't seem inclined to interact with each other, which was just fine with her. The doors would open to the public in no more than an hour and everyone wanted to be ready for that moment. Thankfully, she didn't have to worry like those anxiously waiting to start their presentations. They had a longer wait.

Unlike all the floor exhibits, the presentations were going on by category, as she'd originally thought everything would go. The unfortunate part of that meant she had to man her booth every day of the expo. The judges had no specific time set aside to look at the different exhibits. And since there were a lot of them, there was no way of knowing how long judging everything would take, let alone knowing who those judges were. Their identities had been kept anonymous to keep things fair.

Kally wiped a bead of cold sweat from her brow. All she had to do was survive until seven, at which time she'd meet up with the others and head to Stark Tower for that promised dinner with Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts. She could put up with anything knowing that was ahead of her. She double-checked the cooler under her table, hidden by the draping cloth she'd put over the whole. Chances were good she'd only get a few quick bathroom breaks between everything so she'd opted to make sure she had stuff to munch on in case she got hungry.

Slowly, the minute hand on her watch crept upward until it aligned with the number twelve. She thought she could hear the doors to the auditorium open as different spectators started entering the space. Their voices weren't exactly hushed, though they made a nice sort of backdrop to the constant beeps, blips, and other sounds created by the projects nearest her.

Since she was in a section not immediately near the doors, she didn't expect anyone to come over right away. In fact, she was sort of counting on it, which is why when an adult she didn't know entered her area she wasn't entirely prepared. The man seemed intent on looking at her posters, scrutinizing them out from under thick-rimmed glasses. And he was certainly taking his dear sweet time. Kally let him.

While this man examined her research and explanations, she observed him. He seemed about middle-aged, hair slightly graying at the edges, most notably near the ears. His eyes were pretty nondescript, mostly a mix of grey and blue, with the potential of hidden secrets. She wasn't sure she liked them. His hands weren't overly rough, but weren't without calluses either. And he was of average build, maybe a little on the overweight end, but she somehow knew he could handle himself.

Taking advantage of his potential distraction, Kally slipped her phone out of her pocket, pretending to send a text. In reality, she sent a command to her project to capture an image of him for later analysis. Just like any search engine in use over the internet, her program had the ability to track and capture data, including photos and bio-metrics, all without detection. It just didn't store most of that data unless she instructed it to. So she felt a slight elation when the man turned towards her project and she got a full view of his face.

"Why don't you tell me about your experiment," the man suggested without any kind of introduction. She noticed he also didn't have on any identifying tags or badges. He had, however, pulled out a tablet of some kind and seemed to be taking notes.

Might be a judge, Kally mused, though she wasn't entirely sure. He could also be from one of the various companies sponsoring the expo. Either way, she wanted to find out for sure. "It's an interactual program used for data retrieval," she told him. "I guess you could say it's like an interactive encyclopedia. Why don't you ask it something?"

Looking somewhat intrigued, the man moved closer. "What is the distance between the earth and the sun?" he asked.

The holographic woman turned her face to look his direction as it searched for the information he wanted. "This distance between the earth and the sun is approximately 92.96 million miles," she answered him in a calm tone, just as she'd been programmed to do.

"And the distance between the sun and Jupiter?" the man asked, possibly making sure it really knew its stuff.

The hologram shifted its weight to one side. "The distance between Jupiter and the sun is approximately 483.6 million miles."

He gave a thoughtful look at the projection before jotting something down with a stylus. "Not bad," he commented almost absently before moving on to the next booth.

Kally watched him as he seemed to go through a similar process, only not quite as thoroughly with the poster staring as he'd done with hers. There was something about him, though, that didn't quite feel right. She just couldn't put her finger on why.

* * *

Honey Lemon felt completely in her element as she set her chemicals to fizzing, bubbling, and otherwise percolating. Chemical Metal Embrittlement was science at its best and she'd managed to perfect it. And thanks to the plasti-glass box, neither she nor any of her observers got coated with pink smears of the end result, though she had to wipe the box clean before placing a new sample inside for the next demonstration. Thankfully she'd brought a lot of cleaning rags and metal samples for that exact purpose. Watching the chemicals in her whole setup was impressive enough without the extra demonstration.

Hiro watched from across the aisle as he leaned against a dividing partition between two booths. No matter how many times he'd seen it, it never got old. There was just something cool about touching the electrified orbs of metal and watching them explode into a profusion of pink powder. He'd already watched her demonstrate it three times since the doors opened to the public and probably could sit there and watch it many more but decided to move on.

The chemist didn't comment as she noticed Hiro slip away while she reset the stage. While she understood it was a good idea to keep an eye on him, she knew he needed to roam around. And chances were good he wouldn't get into too much trouble. Maybe he'd even get some good ideas by looking around at the different offerings. There was some really sweet tech on display and it would be just like him to go exploring.

She glanced over to Wasabi's booth as he tossed a pear through his laser induced plasma, much to the astonishment of several gawking girls. He could probably have his pick of any of them, if he'd really paid any attention to that kind of thing. But he was much too shy to worry about having a relationship right now.

Satisfied all was well there, Honey quickly glanced towards GoGo's booth where Fred had taken up residence on a folding chair he'd found. He was sitting backwards, resting his chin on the hard metal backing while GoGo explained how her bike used electro-mag suspension to propel it forward at speeds previously unheard of. It was probably a good thing she'd never really shown it to anyone outside their group and her professors back at SFIT, which allowed her to wow her current audience as they tried working the pedals to see the back wheel spin.

They'd been at this for over an hour now and the crowd was starting to get a little thicker, though not by much. Most were probably still making their way through the maze of exhibits. That and she'd heard the first presentation announced over the loudspeaker. They were showing those in a separate room on an actual stage that was likely usually used for stage productions. It still allowed for a large audience and as much theatricality as each presenter wanted.

Part of her wanted to go see what was being presented, though she knew that wasn't going to happen. Today was reserved for presentations on all things chemical but she still had to man her post for the duration. All the same, she managed to keep a bright smile on her face as another group came up on her experiment and she set about explaining how it worked in a manner similar to how she'd described it to Hiro all those years ago.

Wasabi came around his glass partition as the group in front of him moved on. He had his thick gloves on, with paper towels and glass cleaner in hand. The last group had pressed noses up against the glass while he'd tossed fruit at them from the other side. He'd already swept up the resulting slices with a dustpan he kept handy. He glanced around as he finished cleaning up the prints, realizing Hiro wasn't where he'd last seen him.

"Have either of you seen Hiro?" he asked, leaning around the partition separating him from GoGo and Fred's area.

Fred gave a shake of his head but GoGo glanced around the aisle just to be safe. "He probably went to find his lady friend," he quipped in a lazy tone. "I'm sure he's fine. Besides, I took a leaf out of Tadashi's book and made sure to sew a tracker into his clothes before he left."

Wasabi gave him an admonishing look. "You know you could have told us that like two days ago, right?" He looked less than pleased at the belated information.

But Fred only shrugged. "Didn't think about it. Besides, I figured he was just distracted. We got him back without any trouble so no worries."

Wasabi gave him a look but Honey came to Fred's defense. "What's done is done. At least we know we can find him now if he doesn't come back after a while." She smiled at the next batch of observers as they made their way around the exhibits.

The physics student found he had to agree, albeit reluctantly. He finished cleaning the glass and returned to the other side of the partition, turning off the visible spectrum of his project for the next group. It was more fun if they couldn't immediately see what was cutting up the fruit.


	13. No Worries

**Chapter Thirteen:No Worries  
**

Hiro wandered around the various exhibits, quickly growing bored. Most of the experiments were variations on things he'd seen before. Didn't these guys have any originality? Okay, maybe it wasn't a fair question. His group was essentially recycling projects they'd used before. But still! There had to be other ways these other students could use the technology given them. He was far from impressed.

Several adults brushed into him as he rounded a corner. He couldn't help but stare after them, the desire to demand an apology strong, but he ignored it. He didn't need to get kicked out on the first day. His temper still needed a little work. The past few months had shown him that.

Part of him wished he'd brought Megabot with him. He could have sent the little fighter bot all around the auditorium with no one the wiser. He'd built in some micro-cameras to help with spy missions after the last fiasco. While the group as a whole wasn't good at stealth, he was more than confident in his abilities to send the little creature wherever he wanted without detection. Of course, if JARVIS were connected to the school's system, that might be another matter entirely. All the same, he felt fairly confident he'd have sent the robot around without mishap. And it sure would have been a lot more fun than dodging adults and staring at stuff that had already been done before.

Taking a few more turns around the area, Hiro found himself in the same area as Kally's booth. There were a few people hanging around her area, he noticed, which wasn't really unusual. They seemed intent on checking out her offering, either reading the posters or interacting with the fairly realistic holographic projection hovering over the base on the table. From what he could see at a distance, she'd done some really great coding. Something told him, however, that this was the barest manifestation of her abilities.

"Like what you see?" a man said behind Hiro, causing him to jump. The man who'd caught him off guard looked old, old enough to be his grandfather at least. He had a healthy beard of white and grey, and had a patch over one eye. But behind all that was a wry sense of humor that twinkled in his visible eye, along with smile lines hidden behind the facial hair.

Hiro had to take a moment to recover. He definitely had not expected someone to come up behind him like that and it showed. Color tinged his neck and ears as he exhibited the classic expression of someone caught snitching a doughnut late at night from the café. Why did this guy remind him of Aunt Cass?

"I'm sorry," the man apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you." He offered his hand, enveloping Hiro's when he reached back in response. "My name is Othin. I'm one of Ms. Carmichael's professors."

Understanding filled Hiro's mind with a flash, though the red coloring didn't immediately leave his skin. "I wasn't ogling or anything," he hedged, much to the professor's amusement. "We met earlier and I just wanted to see what her project was. All the others are just so-so."

Othin couldn't help but look pleased with this turn of events. "I quite agree with you. Most of the students here don't seem to have grasped the concept of trying to impress anyone, let alone future recruiters. And you are?"

"H-Hiro Hamada," Hiro managed, his slight lisp coming to the front as he tongued the gap between his teeth. Man did this guy make him feel nervous! "Kally's a nice girl," he added lamely. Now why did this guy make him feel nervous? And it wasn't necessarily in a bad way, no skin crawling or anything, just wary.

The professor nodded thoughtfully as he stroked his beard. "Yes she is," he agreed. "I expect great things from her."

His comment seemed to confuse Hiro as he looked up into the man's face with one of his most unsure expressions. "Um…"

"She has a lot of potential in her field," the professor clarified. "Not unlike yourself, from what I understand, Mr. Hamada. I've heard several people mention your name already. It would seem they expect great things from you in the future as well."

Hiro laughed nervously, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Yeah, people keep telling me that. I'm not entirely sure their faith is accurately placed though. I mean I'm still just a kid."

Othin raised his visible eyebrow at that comment. "There are different kinds of maturity. And while you still may be young in many aspects, I suspect there are others where you excel beyond what most adults have already achieved."

Okay, so that was a weird comment, Hiro decided. He shuffled his feet a bit, wondering if this was what an insect felt while under a magnifying glass. The man was scrutinizing him without seeming to and he definitely wasn't sure what to think about that. "Um… I should probably get back to my friends. I'm sure they're wondering where I've gone."

The professor seemed amused by Hiro's hasty retreat, watching him as he did an abrupt one-eighty to head back the way he'd come. He turned his attention back to the different exhibits, a frown creasing his lips as he slowly scanned the room. There was something off about the expo today and he wasn't sure what just yet. Energy seemed to crackle around him, almost as if he was sweeping a cloak as he turned to head in the opposite direction. From the rafters of the auditorium, two ravens watched as he left.

* * *

Fred stretched, reaching arms up into the air as the doors to the auditorium finally closed for the day. Since it was a weekday, the expo wouldn't extend into the later evening hours. That would happen on the last night, only a couple days away, but far enough away to not cause concern. "Well, that was fun," he stated as he looked at his tired companion.

GoGo had done a great job of keeping up the energy while there were people to check out her bike. But once they were gone, the energy levels seemed to slip dramatically. She gave a faint groan as she moved away from her booth, heading towards the others. "I think I need to find a chair for tomorrow," she allowed. "I really could use one right about now. And a coffee maker."

Many of the students who'd shared exhibits were already heading off, or had earlier, to find dinner and rest. Since GoGo's group was waiting for Kally to finish, they'd opted to man their posts until the doors were officially closed for the night. It had taken a bit longer than they'd have liked, meaning they'd be a bit late back to Stark Tower for dinner. But at least they wouldn't have to worry about others commenting on their ride. Even though the van was unmarked, it still looked pretty top of the line.

Hiro popped out from behind Wasabi's plasti-glass barrier. He seemed to have more energy than any of them, bouncing on the balls of his feet with nervous fingers opening and closing on repeat. "Maybe one of us should go find her?" he asked a bit anxiously. The doors had only been closed for five or ten minutes, but Kally still hadn't joined them. Of course it would probably take that amount of time just to walk over, but still. He felt antsy and he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because of that Othin guy earlier in the day. That encounter had just been outright weird.

Wasabi made sure to deactivate the plasma flow before he joined Hiro on the other side. He watched as Honey turned off the burners in her area, storing the filled beakers in a safe place so none would spill or become contaminated with other things. "Maybe we should all just head towards her area," he suggested in mild amusement. "You know, meet her halfway."

"Good idea," Fred agreed. "Better than splitting up, am I right?" He glanced over at Honey Lemon and GoGo.

Hiro led the way. Since he'd been the one who'd spent the most time with her, he felt the most qualified to determine which way she might have gone. Of course it was always possible she was still at her booth, cleaning up. He just wished he'd asked for her cell phone number, mentally smacking himself for not doing it before.

Honey, standing taller than the others with her platform shoes, peered ahead of the others. "Oh! I see her!" she exclaimed as she pointed in the appropriate direction. From what she could see, Kally was talking to an older looking man who glanced briefly their way before walking off.

Now following Honey, the other four heroes had to speed walk to keep up. Kally met them halfway. "Uh, hey," Hiro said as they caught up to her. "We were beginning to wonder if you'd forgotten." He ran one hand behind his head, playing with the ends of his hair.

Kally smiled. "Sorry about that," she apologized. "My professor wanted to make sure nothing had happened to my stuff. A couple of bullies tried to rip things up when I was setting up. But we're good so no worries."

Hiro sighed in relief. Part of him had wondered if something hadn't happened to her, but he was all too glad to be wrong on that end. "Hey, um, maybe you should give us your cell number. You know, in case something like this happens again." He looked a bit hopeful, mixed in with anxious. "We can put our numbers in each other's phones or something."

GoGo watched the two with a wry expression as Fred draped himself over her shoulder again. "How much you wanna bet there's something going on between those two?" she asked the mascot as they watched the two teens.

Wasabi broke up the moment. "Exchanging numbers is all fine, but we really need to meet our ride if we're going to get there before midnight," he reminded.

Honey seemed to do a few quick steps towards the doors. "He's right," she realized. "I'm sure they've been waiting for a while now."

Kally looked chagrined at this, though Hiro quickly swayed that by taking her by the hand. Together, they strode out of the auditorium and to the pickup area in front of the building. The van they'd used to get there was waiting for them. And as soon as the driver saw them, he touched a Bluetooth device on his ear before exiting the vehicle to open the doors for them. He was probably letting Stark know he'd safely retrieved his guests and that they were on their way.

Looking behind them, Hiro noticed a guard locking up the building for the night and felt glad they'd managed to leave before that had happened. He wasn't sure what kind of alarm system they might have but didn't want to press his luck. At least he knew his friends' projects were secure. He could see a few other security guards already patrolling the area.


	14. About That

By the time they'd reached Stark Tower, Kally was sitting in nervous anticipation. Her knuckles were white as she clenched her fists over her knees as she stared in awe at the tall structure. It wasn't that she hadn't seen it before. Anyone living in New York had. But the idea that she'd actually be going inside _and_ having dinner with Tony Stark and Pepper Potts was just overwhelming. And now that she was head on facing it, she couldn't help but feel more than a little anxious.

"There's no need to be nervous," Honey soothed, seeing the young woman's distress. "I promise they're really nice people." She couldn't help but look maternal as she waited for their chauffeur to open the van's side door.

Hiro watched his new friend as she gaped at the entrance to the Tower. He'd felt something similar the first time he'd seen it and didn't blame her for ogling. But he also noticed two guards standing next to the bank of elevators as their group stepped into the elevator car before pressing the button for the penthouse level. He felt sure they weren't the same from that morning, which wasn't entirely surprising. But he also felt certain they hadn't been there until that morning either.

"We need to stop by my room for a minute," the teen genius said as the elevator started its ascent and he realized someone had already pressed the top button. He quickly reached over to push the desired floor's button as Kally just stared at him.

Fred gave a knowing smile. "That's right," he grinned as Kally turned his way. "We're totally staying here. Me and Tony go way back. But I bet you got invited on your own merit because what I saw of your exhibit was pretty cool. I know both Pepper and Tony only invite the best. We're just here as a favor to my dad."

Kally couldn't help but blink at that. Apparently she needed to reevaluate what she thought about these guys. She doubted Hiro came from money, though he probably had a decent living environment. She thought the same for the others, except Fred. The way he talked made it sound like there was so much more to it than just being friends with a billionaire tech genius. "So, um… how exactly do you know Mr. Stark?" she asked.

The mascot gave a shrug of the shoulders. "His dad and my dad used to hang out a lot. You see, they had similar business tactics, which is how the family fortune got made, I think. Except my dad didn't go into technology. But they were drinking buddies, which meant my dad knew Tony growing up, even though they're only like a decade or two apart age-wise."

The elevator dinged and Hiro rushed to exit the doors as soon as they opened. He turned back at the last second at the surprised looks everyone shot his way. "Um… would you guys mind waiting here for a sec? Tony said Baymax could join us." He gave a funny little expression as the others, minus Kally, nodded in understanding. He quickly dashed towards his room.

"Might as well wait outside the elevator," Wasabi said. "Someone else might want to use it."

"I can hold the elevator for you, if you wish," JARVIS spoke up, causing Kally to jump slightly.

Kally placed a hand over her heart. "Who said that?" She looked around, realizing there were speakers built into the elevator. And if she looked out the still open doors, she could see areas where more speakers might be hidden. In fact, she felt like the whole place was wired with technology. Not too surprising considering who owned the place.

"Pardon me," JARVIS apologized. "I am JARVIS, Mr. Stark's butler. You must be Kally Carmichael."

She looked a little hesitant, like she wanted to shake hands with something but was holding back. "Nice to meet you," she finally said, coming to the realization of what was going on. "You're an AI, aren't you?"

"Indeed."

Kally nodded as it all fell together in her mind. "You're integrated into the entire tower, aren't you?"

"Integrated is such a mundane word," JARVIS intoned. "I prefer to think of it as being connected to any device I so desire, not unlike the AI you've been working on."

Hiro returned just in time to catch that last bit, Baymax in tow. "You're working on an AI?" he asked incredulously. He blinked a few times as Baymax stood patiently by his side just outside the elevator.

"Yeah," Kally admitted, turning slightly red around the corners. "I mean, outside of the one I'm showing at the expo. I call her Sammy, well, Sam for short. She's how I figured out your name before you officially introduced yourself. I uh... asked her to look at the expo's guest list."

Hiro stepped into the elevator, Baymax right behind him. Memories of the day before, with her calling his name to wake him, filled his mind. "Oh. Right." He ruffled his hair before remembering why he'd had them stop at that floor.

The doors to the elevator slid shut and the car continued its ascent. "I wanted to show you something," Hiro continued as he moved to one side. "This is Baymax."

Baymax gave his usual circular wave. "Hello, I am Baymax, your personal healthcare companion. You must be Kally."

Kally couldn't help but look around at all the smiling faces. "Did you create him?" she finally asked.

Hiro shrugged a bit non-comittedly. "Well, not exactly. My brother did all the programming. I just improved on the outward structure. I think of him as kind of like a guardian my brother left behind."

Kally detected a note of sadness in his voice, though it wasn't obvious. Chances were good something tragic had happened to the other Hamada, though she didn't feel it polite to ask. Before any other thoughts could be expressed, however, the elevator dinged once more and the doors slid open.

Pepper Potts stood just off the elevator, ready to greet them. "I'm so glad you could make it," she told Kally. "Tony's been getting a bit anxious and almost sent out the National Guard to find you." She led the way back into a spacious kitchen with black granite counter tops, a smile on her lips to show she was mostly joking. "As you can see, he couldn't wait to get cooking." She gave her boyfriend an affectionate hug.

Tony stood behind one of the counters, more of an island, wearing a full apron to protect his clothing. The only thing he was missing was a chef's hat, Kally thought as she watched him cut up some vegetable she didn't immediately recognize. "Come on in," he invited. "Don't be shy. I'm just finishing up the vegetables. I was thinking of tempura and sushi. What do you think?"

Hiro nodded in appreciation. He liked sushi and knew his friends did as well. He felt sure Kally would enjoy it too. The tempura was a nice touch as well. He hadn't had any in a long while, though he couldn't help but wonder at the sandwich cookies and sponge cakes he saw off to one side. They reminded him more of a Chinese Buffet than classic Asian cuisine.

Noticing him looking towards the far counter, Tony gave a little shrug. "I figured if we're doing tempura, we might as well fry up some carnival food while we're at it."

Fred looked like he wanted to drool as he stood next to the junk food. "Oh man," he laughed, "this is going to be so awesome!"

Baymax contemplated the current offerings. "While the sushi and tempura offer more nutritional choices, I do not believe the other items can be considered healthy," he reported.

Kally couldn't help but chuckle at his statement. "I take it he's always looking out for your well-being," she stated as she glanced wryly over at Hiro.

"Yeah, about that," Hiro hedged. "Just don't ask him to scan you and expect him not to announce his findings to the rest of the room. We're still working on keeping that end on the private side."

She looked entertained by the idea as she took the opportunity to examine the healthcare bot in more detail. Since dinner was still being made, she felt no qualms with taking her time. "Vinyl structure," she noted. "I guess that makes sense." And, repeating a process similar to the one Hiro had when first meeting Baymax, she commented on all the major points.

Honey Lemon watched with satisfaction as the two youngest members in the room interacted with each other. It was about time Hiro made some friends with people closer to his age. It wasn't that she minded the difference. She just felt happy for him to find someone on his same level and age for once. It wasn't a typical combination and she only hoped things would work out for them to at least become good friends, even if nothing more developed.

Pepper presented a tray of cheese and crackers for the hungry students to munch on while Tony worked on the main stuff. "No sense in starving while we wait," she said in amusement as she tilted the tray for the two teens. "I'm sure none of you ate much at the expo today."

Tony finished with his vegetables by rinsing off the impressive knife he'd been using, setting it in the sink to wash later. "I hope you like shrimp in your sushi," he announced, "because I'm not really a fan of that tuna stuff." He moved to the refrigerator and pulled out a package of the tiny shell fish, which he took to the counter.

Meanwhile, Kally snitched a couple more crackers with cheese. It had been a long time since lunch and she was hungry. She just felt glad her stomach hadn't growled at them all just yet. It was always embarrassing when it did. It could be quite loud.

"I hope you plan on cooking those before putting them in your sushi," Pepper admonished as she watched Tony pinch off the tails, putting the cleaned ones in a bowl of icy water. He already had the rice steaming in a steamer, the seaweed ready to go as soon as the filling was. "No one likes raw shrimp."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Do I look like someone who would make that kind of mistake? Come on. This is me we're talking about." He pulled out a deep pan and set it on a gas burner nearby. That done, he poured enough oil in it to fry the little ocean bugs and turned the flame to a medium heat. "We'll just let that heat up for a minute and then we'll be in business."

Baymax decided it might be wise to observe Tony's activities, especially since they involved sharp knives and hot oil. He waddled towards the pseudo chef, staying far enough back that he wasn't in the way, but close enough he could step in if things went bad.

Hiro led Kally over towards the dining table in the far corner, taking the tray from Pepper. He wasn't about to admit it, but he felt like he was starving. And judging from the way Kally was eating the crackers, he suspected she felt the same way. He didn't say anything when Fred and the others snitched a few while waiting. They were probably just as hungry.

"So," Hiro said as he watched Kally eat, "you said you were working on your own AI, right?" He couldn't help but tug a bit at the collar of his shirt as he looked into her eyes. They were nice eyes, he decided before quickly looking away.

Kally swallowed what was in her mouth, clearing her throat. "That's right," she confirmed. "Sammy's kind of like a personal assistant, I guess. You hear about those programs made to help you with searches and all that, and you've probably seen those devices with similar programs in them, but Sam thinks for herself. That and she's probably a lot more portable."

Hiro looked mildly impressed. He knew about the assistant programs she was talking about. They were a form of AI, but he figured hers was a lot more complicated, like JARVIS or Baymax. They did more than just assist and he couldn't help but wonder what Sammy's primary purpose was. It would be interesting to look at the coding, he decided. "So, have you shown her to anyone?"

Kally shook her head as she looked around for something to drink. The cracker seemed to be sticking to the back of her throat a bit. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Tony starting to fry up the shrimp. "No, I haven't even shown any of my professors. I guess I kind of want to keep her secret for now. Speaking of which, how on earth did JARVIS know about her?"

Tony looked up from his boiling pan of oil. "JARVIS? Oh, he looks into anything and everything that might be of interest. He's a veritable know it all."

"Thank you, sir," JARVIS said, using such a tone that Kally couldn't help but picture a prim and proper man rolling his eyes. "However, the main reason I discovered your program is due to the fact that she essentially stole a copy of the guest list for the student expo. I knew before you admitted it in the elevator."

Pepper couldn't help but look up at that. "You had your AI download a copy of the guest list?"

Kally hung her head a bit, resisting the urge to sniffle. Her nose felt like it wanted to run, though she felt fairly sure she hadn't caught a cold. "Uh… yeah, I wanted to find out more about Hiro," she confessed, sneaking a glance his way. Her stomach hurt a bit after all the crackers and cheese. Maybe it was more the cheese. Some of the pieces had peppers in them and she'd never liked those.

Hiro couldn't help but feel a bit shocked by her admission. "Why didn't you just ask me?" he wondered. "I'd have been more than happy to tell you whatever you wanted to know."

She gave him a funny kind of look, her ears tinged red. "It was the night we first ran into each other. All I had to go on was your first name I'd overheard from the others so I asked Sam to check into it," she admitted. She tried to swallow a bit and found her throat felt somehow thick. A sense of nausea filled her as the smell of the shrimp cooking filled the air. "Um," she turned to Pepper, "could you tell me where the bathroom is?"

Pepper was more than happy to direct her in the appropriate direction. She did look at her a bit oddly, though. Perhaps it was a passing fancy, or something else, but she thought her guest looked a little redder than was natural for just embarrassment.


	15. Distress

Kally tried not to run out of the kitchen and down the hallway as directed. She found the bathroom with little difficulty, though she had a bit of trouble once she got there. The door was closed, though not locked. She put her hand to the knob and felt a spasm of pain fill her belly. "Please no," she whispered as she yanked the door open. Her heart pounded as she tried to find the light switch. She was getting a bit dizzy, though, which didn't help. But she finally found switch and flicked on the light.

Still feeling more than a little sick, she lifted the seat of the toilet and knelt next to it, needing to hold on to the bowl for support. She hated throwing up and tried to will the urge away but the feeling wouldn't abate. It didn't help that her throat felt tighter than it had only a minute ago. In fact she found she was having a hard time breathing as her body sort of rocked back and forth against her will.

She slid to her bottom, still inches away from the toilet. What was wrong with her? She had no idea and knowing that frightened her. Part of her wondered if she was going to pass out. And if she did, would she slam into anything? That wouldn't be good. Why was her body at such odds with itself? Even though the desire to hurl was still quite strong, she knew it wasn't going to happen with her throat feeling the way it was. "Not good," she rasped.

* * *

Tony had just moved the shrimp to a paper towel-lined plate when JARVIS spoke up. "I believe Miss Carmichael is experiencing some kind of distress in the bathroom," he announced.

Hearing that, Hiro's head jerked up, as did the other heroes. Something in his stomach plummeted as his mind quickly went through Kally's most recent appearance. "Baymax!" Hiro called out as he ran in the direction Kally had disappeared. He didn't wait to see if the healthcare companion followed him or not. At least it wasn't hard to find the room in question. The door stood wide open, the light flooding into the hall.

Hiro burst into the room, looking more than a little frantic as he realized where Kally was. Her lips were starting to swell and looked a bit on the blue side. But at least she was still conscious. He rushed to her side, not worrying about potentially hard floors as he fell to his knees. "Hey," he called out to her. "Can you hear me? Can you breathe? Answer me!"

Kally looked like a fish trying to breathe on dry land. She had one hand to her throat. "Can't... breathe..." she managed to rasp as her skin itched. It was maddening, though she was more concerned with her lack of oxygen. She knew that would cause more problems than her itching skin.

"Crap!" Hiro swore, everything confirming what he'd initially thought was going on. He glanced back the way he'd come, realizing Baymax hadn't reached them yet. If Kally was experiencing what he thought she was, she didn't have much time. Not bothering to worry about anything else, he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his auto injector. He removed the cap and jammed it into Kally's thigh like he'd been trained to do. He just hoped there was enough epinephrine in his applicator to do some good. He knew each person had their own specific needs.

Baymax waddled into the room moments after Hiro had administered the epinephrine. He took a quick moment to assess the situation, scanning Kally. "Please move back," he instructed Hiro. He waddled forward as Hiro moved out of the way.

Tony moved into view from the hallway, his mouth hanging in a frown. "JARVIS, inform the medical staff we need assistance up here right now."

"Of course, sir," JARVIS responded.

Honey hung back with Pepper, trying to see what was happening without actually getting in the way. "What's going on?" she asked as Baymax pressed one finger up next to the auto injector Hiro had inserted into Kally's thigh. She'd followed after seeing Hiro dart out of the room, not sure what was going on.

"Anaphylaxis," Hiro answered before Baymax could. "She's having an allergic reaction." He looked almost as though he were in shock. His face was a bit more pale than usual.

Tony couldn't help but look at Hiro with a bit of confusion. "How did you...? I mean I know you have a mild allergy to peanuts, but your medical records never said anything about you needing an auto injector. And I'm pretty sure her medical records didn't indicate any kind of allergy."

GoGo stared from the hallway. She'd followed after Honey, Fred right behind her. "Wait, you accessed all of our medical records?" She looked just as shocked by what was going on as everyone else.

Fred moved up behind her. "Standard practice when hosting a lot of people," he inserted. "I do a lot of charity work and know the event planners have to be careful with allergies, especially since so many have them these days. It's nothing overly intrusive, just enough to make sure someone doesn't get served something that will kill them or something."

"You're quite right, Master Fred," JARVIS agreed. "I did not see anything in Miss Carmichael's records to indicate she has any allergies, food based or otherwise."

Kally gasped as the medication kicked in, her airways opening up enough that she could breathe again. Her entire body seemed to heave with the breath, though she still looked out of it, dazed almost. Thanks to the second dose Baymax had just given her, her airways had loosened considerably. "I suggest transporting Kally to an emergency medical facility as soon as possible," Baymax said. "While initial onset of anaphylaxis has currently been deterred, it is possible she may suffer from another reaction. For that reason, I ask Mr. Stark to please stand back."

"What's going on, buddy?" Hiro asked as he moved in a little. "Did you figure out what she's allergic to?"

Baymax gently picked up his patient, who was now unconscious, cradling her in his arms as he turned to face the doorway. "Kally appears to have a severe allergy to shellfish," he informed. "As JARVIS and Mr. Stark said, this is not indicated on her medical records. I do not believe she was aware of the allergy."

As requested, Tony moved back from the doorway as Baymax waddled out with his charge. "Someone from the med lab should be heading up," he informed them. But when Wasabi gave him an incredulous look, he couldn't help but feel a bit defensive. "What? Just because it wasn't on the ten cent tour doesn't mean we don't have one. I had a medical suite installed after the whole aliens trying to invade Manhattan a while back."

"The medical team is on their way, sir," JARVIS confirmed. "Perhaps it would be best to meet them at the elevators?"

Hiro glanced around at his worried friends, his gaze resting on their hosts. "Is there a way to the elevators that doesn't go through the kitchen? We don't want to risk re-exposing her to her trigger. Just trust me on that."

Tony came to himself when Pepper gave him a slight nudge. If anyone knew the layout of the tower, it was him. There had been a few changes since she'd last been there. "Uh, yeah," he said. "This way." He headed towards the opposite end of the hallway, keeping enough of a lead to hopefully not trigger another attack.

Baymax moved forward, Hiro right behind him. In only a matter of minutes, they were outside the bank of elevators, just as the doors slid open. A team of three medical personnel stood with a gurney and paramedic's bag just inside the car. The robot gently placed Kally on the gurney before they could even exit the elevator. The doors shut behind him and Hiro, going down before anyone could even press the floor bottom.

"Patient is experiencing anaphylactic shock," Baymax informed the nearest medic. "Recommend applying oxygen and monitoring vital signs for potential relapse. I have already injected epinephrine after Hiro applied an auto injector of the same. I also suggest introducing an antihistamine to help counter the allergen's effects. Current vital signs indicate low blood pressure, low blood oxygen levels, and disorientation. There is also swelling of the lips and throat. Further scans suggest potential indigestion."

He continued to inform them of their patient's condition as one medic applied the requested oxygen, refraining from introducing a breathing tube due to the reduced swelling. Another medic placed EKG pads on her chest and applied a blood pressure cuff while checking her vitals against what the robot reported. The other medic inserted an IV catheter in Kally's arm, near the wrist, to start the flow of saline solution in preparation for further medication.

Upon further questions, the medics realized Kally had suffered a reaction more from the essence of the fried shrimp than from actual ingestion, suggesting a severe allergy to the shellfish. But at least it helped them to know how to treat the resulting symptoms. And, in only a matter of a few minutes, they had moved into the medical suite Tony had deemed necessary in the rebuild.

Hiro continued to follow them inside, using his small size to duck out of the way as they began treating his friend. He watched in fascination, wondering if this was what the doctors in that one timeline had done to try and save his life when he'd had that allergic reaction to the medication, then decided it was only somewhat similar. In that instance his windpipe had closed off entirely, his body shutting down. Kally had been lucky he'd carried that auto injector and that he'd redesigned Baymax to include the ability to administer basic medications in a similar manner.

"Patient is stable," one of the medics announced as she stepped back from the bed they'd moved Kally to. A second bag was attached to the same pole as the saline solution. Hiro guessed they'd decided she was a bit dehydrated. It made sense. He felt the same way. "Thanks for your help," the medic continued, looking at Baymax. "I don't know where you came from, but you may have just saved her life."

Baymax blinked at this suggestion. "Hiro reacted first," he informed. "Without his immediate intervention, my treatment may not have been as effective."

Reminded of the teen's presence, the three medics glanced over at Hiro with unreadable expressions. But before any of them could say anything, Tony Stark entered the room in a fresh pair of clothes, sporting damp hair. He must have showered, Hiro reasoned. "What have we got?" the billionaire asked as he looked around.

The head medic quickly filled him in on what happened, repeating that Kally was stable for the moment. "Would you like us to summon an ambulance?"

Tony looked up sharply at that. "What for? She should be fine here, right?" He wasn't sure why, but he felt it might be better to keep her where she was, at least for now. He was, after all, temporarily in charge of her well-being. Her foster parents had signed the release form. And yes he'd have someone inform them of what had happened, just not yet. That and he felt confident in his medical staff.

The other two medics exchanged glances while the third seemed to hesitate. "I suppose that would be fine," he finally answered. "We can have a nurse sit in with her, just in case something happens, though I doubt it will. You should go though. Let her rest."

Baymax began waddling towards the door, Hiro following. Part of him thought about asking the healthcare bot to stay behind, just to be safe, but the larger part dismissed the idea. He still woke with nightmares, more than he cared to admit, and needed someone there to help calm him down. That and he wasn't sure how well he'd do without the healthcare companion there to help keep him sane. Like a security blanket, Baymax had become an integral part of his life. And possibly his identity as well. "Come on," he urged when Tony seemed intent to just stare at Kally. "We should get back to the others."

Reminded of his hosting duties, Tony jerked around to face the door. He turned back long enough to request he immediately be informed of any changes. Once in the hallway, he made the same request of JARVIS, sure the AI would get the word to him faster than the medical personnel could.

"Um," Hiro hedged as they stepped into the elevator, "do you think JARVIS could let Baymax know too? That way he can wake me and we can both go down."

Tony gave Hiro an intense look but agreed. "Get that, JARVIS?" he asked the air.

"Of course, sir," JARVIS responded. "I will be sure to inform both of you."

Satisfied, Hiro was more than ready to rejoin his friends up in the penthouse, though his thoughts remained downstairs in the medical suite, wondering what might have happened if Baymax hadn't insisted he carry an auto injector around. Or if he hadn't been there at all. That wasn't a happy thought.

* * *

It took some doing to reassure everyone that Kally was no longer in any danger, just resting. Despite those reassurances, dinner became a more solemn affair, the joviality gone. It wasn't that the food was bad. It was quite good, even by Wasabi's standards. But having such a medical emergency seemed to put a damper on things.

While dessert was being served, simple ice cream sundaes, Tony sipped a glass of amber liquid. They'd opted to forgo the carnival-style fried food for the time being. "Maybe we should call it a night," Stark mused. He still didn't understand how such an emergency had happened. Okay, so maybe it wasn't something she hadn't encountered before, which explained why the allergy wasn't in her medical history. But, then again, it also seemed a little odd that she hadn't been exposed to shellfish before. There was something going on behind all that and he wasn't sure what to think of it all. That or someone had erased that information from her medical records, which was also possible. He'd have JARVIS look into it.

Hiro was more than willing to agree to a somewhat earlier than planned bedtime. He had his presentation tomorrow afternoon. That and recent events had left him feeling drained. He'd flashed back to that one timeline, which had allowed him to know what was going on and it wasn't pleasant. Thankfully, he hadn't found himself reliving it, as sometimes happened. So, without further ado, Hiro excused himself, heading towards his room, Baymax right behind him.

As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them, Baymax turned to face his friend. "You seem to be distressed," he observed. "How can I help?"

Hiro slumped against the side of the elevator as it descended. "I don't know," he confessed. "I kinda flashed back to that one time..." he trailed off, hoping Baymax knew what he meant. If he hadn't had to worry about someone else, he felt sure he'd have had some kind of panic attack. "And I couldn't help but feel so scared, wondering if the same thing would happen to her. But it looks like she'll be okay."

Baymax contemplated the emotional state of his charge. Hiro definitely exhibited the classic symptoms of depression, mixed in with hints of anxiety. He doubted it was anything to overly worry about, though it was decidedly warranted, given the circumstances. They were still working on his PTSD, and it was likely this was just another manifestation of it. He would have to watch his young charge closely tonight in case of further complications.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Hiro headed to his designated room. He went straight for the bed and fell onto it. Definitely not one of his better days, he decided as he kicked off his shoes. He'd have to remember to get another auto injector when all of this was over. And hopefully there wouldn't be any more surprises.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day. Deciding it better to be safe than sorry, he got off the bed and checked his second suitcase. The microbots were right where he'd left them, useless without the transmitter. He pulled the small safe out from under the bed and opened it. The transmitter was still there. Well, at least he didn't have to worry about that, he decided as he slipped the device back into the safe and locked it before pushing it back under the bed. His and Baymax's armor was also still safely stowed under the bathroom sink where no one would look.

Baymax shuffled over to his charger. Despite having the majority of the day to sit on the thing, he thought it might be wise to have a full battery. Hiro didn't look like he wanted to talk so the next best thing was to leave him to his thoughts. Chances were good the teen would fall asleep soon enough. It was after ten by this point and he'd had an early start.


	16. Alarm

Tony lounged in the swivel chair in his private office. He was already nursing another drink, poured from the wet bar across the room. That had been a necessity, he'd decided. Pepper was off to bed, citing the need for sleep since she'd have an early morning. There were a few meetings she needed to attend to in the satellite office of Stark Industries and wanted to be fresh as a daisy for them, which was just fine with him. Later, she'd head to the expo to poke around.

What hadn't gone as planned was the company he found himself keeping. It wasn't that he disliked Thor; he just still had a hard time figuring out how to deal with him. The man talked like he was stuck in the middle ages, and acted like... well, a Viking. But at least his so far short stint in the normal realm seemed to have done him some good, though he still seemed to have penchant for ale over a good brandy.

"So," Stark steepled his fingers together, eyeing his glass in the hopes of soon taking another swig, "what brings you back to Stark Tower? It's been a while since you last paid a social call." Seeing the god of thunder entering the penthouse via the terrace had not been on his agenda for the evening and he was more than a little ready to kick the man to the curb. He'd had enough craziness for one night.

Thor sipped at his stein, more than grateful that Tony kept his favorite drink on tap. "I had hoped to ask a favor of you," he admitted. "It would seem that Jane is busy with her endeavors up at the observatory and does not wish to be disturbed. I was wondering if—"

Tony rolled his eyes, his head moving with the motion. "You wanted to crash here, right?" He wasn't one to beat around the bush. Did this guy understand that he already had guests over? Well, no matter. There was more than enough room, if he was being completely honest. The place could house probably up to a hundred people on the various floors. He just didn't usually have a lot of house guests hanging around. And he'd technically designed specific floors for the different Avengers, but still. It was a full house, by normal standards, especially with the extra security, which brought up a good reason to let Thor stay.

The thunder god looked a bit chagrined at being so transparent. "Yes," he admitted. "I do not feel it would be wise of me to test her limits this night. She has already admonished me thrice. Perhaps we might share a few drinks. It has been some time since we last had the opportunity to talk."

That was an understatement, Tony thought. After the Battle for New York, the Norse god had disappeared with Loki, only to appear again after some craziness had happened with the same individual. He supposed he didn't blame Jane for being a bit put out by the on-again-off-again Thor, not that he was entirely to blame. It wasn't his fault things worked in a crazy manner where he was from. Okay, maybe there were things he could have done, but he understood what it felt like to be in the dog house, in a manner of speaking.

"You know what, that's okay," Tony admitted. "I'm not exactly planning on going to bed any time soon so I guess I won't mind the company too much." Part of him winced at that. He did like to spend time alone and hadn't gotten as much of that alone time lately, not with Agent Coulson's men running all over the place. He just hoped JARVIS would find out who had done all that hacking first so he could give the SHIELD agents the boot. Learning Kally was responsible for the guest list leak gave him a sense of relief he desperately needed. Unfortunately, it still didn't explain who had broken into the company's data.

Stark glanced at the clock across from his desk, realizing it was now after midnight. Well, at least part of the night had gone by quickly. "So, how are things going for you?" he asked, taking a sip from his drink. He noticed Thor had already finished his first pint. He just hoped the guy wouldn't throw the mug to the ground like he had when he'd first met him. It wasn't that he couldn't afford to replace the glassware, but it sure was a pain to clean up.

Thor hung his head. "I don't know what I have done, but I have done something to incur her wrath," he confessed. "I seem unable to understand what she expects of me. It is almost as though—"

"You were gone for two years?" Tony guessed with a hint of asperity. "Shocker," he added under his breath, though he wasn't sure if the man heard him or not, nor was he sure if he cared. "Believe me when I say I understand women troubles." He moved around to refill Thor's drink.

The blond Viking nodded his thanks, though his usual energy seemed to have faded. "I do not know what to do. How can a man make up to a woman when he does not understand what he has done to incur her anger? Tony, I need your help."

Well, he supposed there were worse ways to spend the evening. Tony returned to his chair, after splashing a bit more liquor into his own cup. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Kally woke with a start, eyes still closed, her mind racing. Someone was in the room with her who shouldn't be. The sound of the heart monitor they'd attached her to had stopped. Since she knew she was very much alive, that meant someone had deactivated it. The question was why.

Hushed voices sounded around her, quiet enough that she couldn't quite pick out all the words. But what she did hear wasn't comforting. "Ready the sedative," one voice said while hands moved across her chest, detaching the wires hooked to the pads there. This was not typical behavior, she was sure. If she was being moved, for whatever reason, the lights would at least be on low, the medical workers talking to her or at least out loud. Something was definitely not right.

Someone had removed the IV catheter from her arm. She could feel the press of a bandage put in its place. Her heart started to pound, despite her admonition to it to be quiet. These people were obviously not supposed to be there and she was stuck at their mercy. She doubted help would come in time if she called out, not sure if the ever present JARVIS would realize something was amiss in the medical suite in time for it to matter. It was always possible whoever these people were had somehow disabled the security in the area.

Eyelids open just a slit, Kally's eyes adjusted more quickly to the dim lighting than was normal for her. Every muscle in her body seemed tensed for something, despite not being taut. She almost thought it was the fight or flight response everyone felt when in a dangerous situation but wasn't quite sure. It didn't feel quite the same as all those other times she'd had to run to avoid the bullies. It almost felt like her entire body was listening, waiting for the opportune moment to do something. She didn't know what.

Taking the chance of trying to signal for help, Kally moved her hand, the one furthest away from the person on her right, and began to subtly finger spell. Hopefully someone would get the message. Since it wasn't her dominant hand, she wasn't sure how well it would work, but it was better than doing nothing. She sent a silent thank you to her deaf neighbor for teaching her how to at least sign the letters of the alphabet. Hopefully the SOS would catch someone's attention.

"Gurney ready?" the same voice as before asked. There must have been some kind of answer in the affirmative because Kally felt a hand touch her bare arm, something wet and cold swabbing at her skin. It only took her a moment to realize what was going on. They were going to drug her if she didn't do something quick.

Feeling a needle plunge into her arm, Kally reacted with a wild kind of yell that must have startled the two intruders. In the flash of an eye, she had somehow gotten to her feet, standing on the hospital bed she'd been lying on only a moment before. Kicking out, she pushed the closest individual away, feeling sure it was a woman. She didn't know what the gender of the other person was.

* * *

Tony had started to doze a bit in his swivel chair. The night was more than half over at this point. He and Thor had sat in mostly companionable silence, interspersed with some conversation, for the past three hours. He was ready for bed.

"Sir, there is an alarm in the medical suite," JARVIS spoke up, causing the billionaire to start from sleep.

Tony instantly went to his feet, Thor doing the same. "What kind of alarm?"

"Sir, I believe we have an intruder," JARVIS responded.

Iron Man's eyes went wide, the adrenaline pumping. "Secure the building. I want the whole place on lock down! No alarms. I don't want them to know we're on to them!" he shouted. "Dispatch a team to the medical suite." He glanced over at Thor, who seemed ready for action, Mjolnir in his hand. "Let's go. "

The two men dashed out of the office and down the hall, heading towards the elevator. "JARVIS, I need to know what's going on down there," he demanded as soon as the elevator doors closed behind them.

A holographic screen appeared in front of him, showing the dimly lit room. At his creator's request, JARVIS switched to night vision mode so he could get a better idea of what was going on. "Crap!" he yelled, realizing things did not look good.

* * *

Hiro tossed and turned in his bed, not able to find a comfortable position. He'd tried to sleep. He really had, but he couldn't help but think about what had happened with Kally. And, by association, every time he closed his eyes, he relived the moments following his alternate death due to the same circumstances she'd suffered.

"Hiro," Baymax called out, trying to pull the teen from the throws of another bad dream. "Hiro!" he called more loudly, pulling back as Hiro woke with a start. He gave him a few seconds before continuing. "JARVIS has informed me there is an intruder in the medical suite."

The super hero was on his feet in the blink of an eye, running for the door. "What are you waiting for? Come on, Baymax!" he called out, stopping to open the door, then pull the healthcare bot behind him. He didn't even bother changing out of his pajamas. "Tell me what you know."

Baymax bobbed a bit behind him, not unlike when he'd been dragged during their first encounter with Yokai as the teen ran towards the elevators. "JARVIS alerted me to the presence of two intruders in the medical suite," he informed. "He has put the building on lock down. The elevators may not work."

"They better work for us," Hiro informed, speaking both to JARVIS and his robotic friend. "I gotta get down there."

Almost as if JARVIS agreed, the elevator doors slid open for him and the healthcare bot, closing as soon as both were in the car. They didn't even need to push the down button. The moment their elevator closed, however, another opened next to, letting out a man clad in reflective material.

* * *

Kally had never felt so aware of her surroundings. She could picture every single detail of the room without even thinking about it. The initial outburst of adrenaline had given her some room to maneuver, though not much. The woman had been stunned, not injured. But it had given her enough time to pull the syringe from her arm, hoping none of the serum inside had gotten into her bloodstream. If it had, she'd probably be in trouble.

"Grab her!" the woman yelled at her companion, who turned out to be man dressed in typical scrubs. Kally somehow doubted he was really a medical practitioner. His muscles suggested he was some kind of enforcer, though she wasn't sure where that idea had come from.

She looked around for any kind of weapon available. The closest thing was the IV stand, with the last bag still hanging from the top. She grabbed the pole, ripping the bag off. She was not going to go down without a fight. She swung the pole around to ward off the man's advances, smashing the heavier end against the bed's frame to break it off.

"This one's going to be a lot more trouble than we thought," the man hissed as Kally swung at his face, barely missing. "I hope the other extraction team's doing better than we are."

With the bottom part of the pole gone, it felt more balanced and Kally hefted it expertly in her hands, almost as if she'd been born knowing how to use it as a weapon. "Who are you?" she demanded, momentarily distracted from the woman on the other side of the bed.

Unfortunately for the woman, she made the mistake of knocking into the EKG machine, giving Kally enough warning to swing the pole her way. It caught her in the chest, the other end sweeping towards the man to keep him at bay. The teen knew this would only end in a stalemate if things continued as they were. She had to change the situation and fast.

Risking a quick glance around, Kally realized the area in front of the bed was clear. She used the mattress as a sort of springboard and flipped around in an aerial cartwheel, landing firmly on the ground with the pole still in her hands. Part of her knew her current weapon would only catch her up with the change in position. The reach was nice, but it would hinder her ability to defend herself in more cramped quarters. She quickly abandoned the pole, giving herself more distance from the bed.

"Now!" the woman hissed, her breath hitching a bit from the blow to her midsection. The man rushed Kally like a bulldozer, hoping to catch her off guard.

Kally spun, imitating a move she'd seen on a movie, her leg flashing out to knock into his solid frame from the side as she avoided his grasping arms. Her momentum continued to carry her through a full 360 rotation as her other leg flew over the man's head. In the process of moving, she somehow managed to push a nearby cart towards the woman, blocking her from moving any closer.

The teen vaulted onto the next closest piece of furniture, another cart. From there, she catapulted herself towards the far wall where a line of cupboards filled the space. Chest heaving, she yanked two of the doors off their hinges, breaking their locks, and used one as a shield while she hurtled the other towards the man who ducked.

The cupboard she'd manhandled open contained various medical tools, including scalpels, retractors, forceps, scissors, and other metal tools. She grabbed a handful of the closest ones and flung them behind her at the incoming woman. The sharp points plunged into her flesh and she cried out in pain, but Kally had already grabbed another handful of tools, holding them in her left hand as she flipped off the counter top and away from the man.

"Get her!" the woman yelled out with a strangled sound. She sat hunched over, trying to pull out the different pieces of metal that had embedded into her. This was definitely not going according to plan.


	17. What's Going On?

Tony watched the display JARVIS provided with a sense of shock. He'd been under the impression that Kally Carmichael had not been trained in any kind of fighting style, period. And yet there she was, kicking butt with the tools around her like she'd been doing this all her life. "This is unreal," he said under his breath.

Thor watched the display with wide eyes. There was something decidedly familiar about the style of fighting this girl used. The more he watched, the more his suspicions grew. There was too much grace, too much finesse, despite the crude weapons, to be anything else. "Tony, where did you find this girl?" he asked urgently.

Looking up at the thunder god, Tony couldn't help but notice the expression on the blond man's face. It was just as shocked as he supposed his was, though there was a sense of realization in there that he wasn't sure he understood. "She's a guest from the university," he admitted. "Last night she suffered from a severe allergic reaction and we had her under observation. She should _not_ be able to do that."

The elevator finally dinged as they reached the correct floor. The elevator next to them also dinged, causing both Tony and Thor to look that direction, ready to throw themselves at whoever might exit it. "Hiro?" Tony called out instead, realizing who was coming out. But he didn't have time to worry about that. "Don't worry about the kid," he told Thor. "Let's go!"

Hiro didn't so much as blink at the encounter, pulling Baymax behind him once more as he followed the two Avengers down the hall.

* * *

The two intruders were decidedly getting sick of these antics. This was supposed to be a simple snatch and grab. And in the guise of nurses, it was supposed to be easy. Apparently they were wrong. With blood seeping from the various lacerations and other wounds Kally had inflicted, the woman stumbled to locate the ace up her sleeve, a Taser. It was to be used as a last resort, but she thought they were running out of options. Someone had probably heard the chaos and would be coming soon to find out what was going on. They were running out of time, especially since the serum she'd tried to give their target didn't seem to be working.

Kally evaded another attempt by the man to grab her, kicking him in the face as she sent another pair of scissors flying at him like a dart. He managed to duck out of the way at the last second. "You are so going down," he threatened, more than willing to put her in the dirt, despite their orders. Things were not going to end well if he had any say in the matter.

Realizing there was a need for a change in tactics; Kally scooped up the pole from before and bent it in the middle until it broke in two. Wielding one part in each hand, she twirled them like batons, constantly in motion, though part of her knew she was slowing down.

The woman tried to come up behind her with the Taser, hoping to press it against her prey before she knew what was happening. Instead, she felt a pole smash into her arm hard enough to break the bone, sending the Taser flying. She screamed in pain and defiance, not seeing the second length of metal as it swung towards her head, rendering her unconscious.

From across the room, the door opened, distracting the man as he tried to pull a gun from his concealed holster. Kally approached him on steady feet, her steps calculated as she swung her arms back for better momentum. The two poles met with a clack, sandwiching the man's shoulders between them. The man gasped, his arms going limp as she spun on her heels, sending one foot to the side of his head. He went down with a thud.

Three mouths hung open as Hiro, Tony, and Thor stared into the room. It looked like a tornado had ripped through it. And there was Kally standing in the middle of the maelstrom, looking as calm as could be, her eyes focused on the man on the floor, as if he'd get back up. Tony felt sure he wouldn't, not after the loud crack he'd heard. Baymax peered in behind them, trying to assess the damage.

Kally blinked a few times, realizing it was over. Her arms felt heavy as they dropped to her sides, the metal fragments falling from now lifeless fingers. She swayed, her knees threatening to buckle. Before Tony could even think about moving to help her, Hiro darted around him and the mess to reach her side just as her legs gave out. "Did you get the others?" she asked before her body completely shut down.

Thor stared at the scene before him. If he hadn't seen it himself, he wasn't sure he could believe it. The weapons were decidedly crude, but this girl had somehow managed to defeat two foes easily twice her size and weight. He slowly backed away from the door. There was someone he had to see immediately.

Tony slowly entered the room, Baymax right behind him. "What on earth happened in here?" he asked in a demanding tone. He paused just to the side of Kally's original bed, staring at the scene. Behind him, he could hear the elevator doors, possibly signifying the backup he'd requested what seemed like years ago.

Baymax continued to waddle forward until he was within an easy distance of Hiro and Kally. The teen genius looked up at his companion, his eyes wide and worried. "I will scan her for injuries," he assured him, quickly performing the function. "I am detecting several contusions and lacerations consistent with the environment around us. I am also detecting the presence of a strong sedative in her system."

"She was drugged?" Hiro gulped. He glanced at the two unconscious people on the floor. "What about them?" He wasn't sure who they were, but he was really glad they hadn't been able to finish what they'd set out to do.

Baymax moved back a few paces to scan the two intruders. "Both individuals are in need of medical attention. I detect massive lacerations on the female, along with contusions, broken bones, and severe concussions to both patients."

At that moment, the security team finally arrived, led by Agent Coulson. "What's going on?" he demanded as soon as he stepped into the room.

Tony pointed at the scene before them, his arm shaking. "That! That is what's going on! Someone broke in, got past JARVIS long enough to try and abduct one of my guests right out from under my nose! Where were you and your agents? If it hadn't been for her quick thinking, JARVIS wouldn't have informed us of what was going on in time to do anything. As things stand, we got here too late to do anything. She'd already taken care of it for us."

Coulson moved into the room, looking at Kally with a bit of surprise. "She took care of it?" He didn't miss the hospital-style garb they'd put her in, nor the lack of any definable muscles.

"I can provide video evidence if you doubt me," Stark informed. "But that can wait until later. Would you find someone to get these people out of here? The kid's robot says they probably need medical attention, so if you want to have even a hint of a chance of figuring out who they are, I'd send for an ambulance."

The other security officers moved cautiously into the room, making sure there were no more threats. When they were satisfied, they moved back, one calling for the requested medical vehicle.

"Wait!" Hiro called out as Coulson moved towards the door. Baymax was attending to Kally's injuries, minor in comparison to her attackers. "Kally said something before she passed out. She wanted to know if we'd gotten the others. Do you know what she meant?"

"Sir," JARVIS spoke up, "I seem to have somehow missed the other intruders. I am not quite sure how they managed to avoid detection, but they just exited the building by smashing one of the windows in the room assigned to Hiro Hamada."

Tony turned to look at the young man, his expression grim. Coulson mirrored his action. "What in the world is going on?" he asked the air as he stared at the two teens on the floor.

Coulson took a step back towards the middle of the room. "This building is no longer secure. We need to evacuate," he informed Mr. Stark.

Realization caught up with Hiro as JARVIS's words hit home. "Wait, they escaped from my room?" He gently moved Kally out of his arms, though part of him wanted to go much faster. "I have to make sure they didn't get something," he stated as he stood.

"You're not going alone," Tony informed him. He turned to look for Thor, realizing he was missing. "Now where did he go?"

"If you are referring to Thor," JARVIS spoke up, "he has left the building. I heard him mention needing to speak to a man named Heimdall as soon as possible."

Tony exhaled all the air from his lungs before taking a deep breath. He moved to rub one finger near his eyebrow. "Okay, we're not going to let you go alone up there. But we also have to take into consideration the rest of your friends. You," he pointed at one of the security guards still standing there, "hold down the fort. Don't move Miss Carmichael yet. Baymax, keep an eye on her until we get back." He put a hand on Hiro's shoulder, propelling him to the door. "Coulson, I need more of your men with me. Now. We still have four more kids up there, not to mention Pepper."

"I have informed Pepper of what is happening," JARVIS stated. "She has requested to leave via helicopter and will contact you as soon as she has reached the satellite office."

Iron Man nodded. "Thanks, JARVIS. Now, can you tell me if anyone else is here who shouldn't be?" He didn't wait for the others to hear the answer as he led Hiro down the hallway back to the elevators.

Coulson glanced around at the officers still in the room. "Inform the rest of our team to begin a floor by floor search," he told one of them. "I want another team to meet Mr. Stark and his guests. Have Agent Romanoff meet us downstairs with a waiting vehicle large enough to accommodate eight people. And inform Agent Hill we need a safe house big enough to accommodate the same number." He waited only long enough to confirm his orders had been obeyed before moving over to Baymax and Kally.

Baymax looked up from applying an antibacterial spray to one of Kally's more serious cuts. Apparently her foes had gotten in a few blows. "Will she be ready for transport within the next few minutes?" Coulson asked the robot, incorrectly assuming he was one of Stark's projects.

The healthcare bot blinked at this new individual. "I can safely move her now," he informed as he slid his arms under Kally's back to pick her up. "I would prefer to vacate the area before any further complications can arise."

"Me too," Coulson agreed. "Follow me." He signaled for two officers to accompany them as they headed to the elevators, leaving the others to deal with the unconscious intruders.


	18. No Longer Safe

Hiro couldn't help but bounce on the balls of his feet as he waited impatiently for the elevator to reach the desired floor. He had a sneaking suspicion of what might have happened and he hoped against hope he wasn't right. But there was only one way to find out.

Finally, the elevator chimed their arrival, the doors sliding open. Hiro almost bolted out the door but Tony held on to his shoulder before he could exit the doors. "You're not going out there until I know it's safe," he admonished. "JARVIS, status update."

"I do not detect any movement from this floor," JARVIS informed them. "The area is secure. Should I wake the rest of our guests?"

Tony shook his head. "No. We'll do that in a minute. Just make sure no one else gets in who shouldn't." He knew his order would be obeyed without confirmation from his butler. "Okay," he released Hiro's shoulder. "If I tell you to do something, you do it. Got it?"

Hiro nodded his understanding. The two exited the elevator, Hiro behind Iron Man, both wishing they had their super suits in hand. Well, soon enough, Hiro thought. His was in his room. At least he hoped it was still in his room. It had been there when he'd gone to bed, after all.

Tony signaled him forward as they approached his room. He held up one hand as they reached the slightly open door. He peered around the jamb, realizing the wide open space was empty. "Clear," he announced unnecessarily, motioning for Hiro to wait at the door while he checked out the adjoining bathroom and closet. Satisfied, he motioned the teen inside. "Okay, take a good look around and see if anything is missing."

Hiro dived for the far side of the bed, where he'd stashed the suitcase full of microbots. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when he saw one suitcase there, but sucked it back in when he realized it was the wrong one. "My microbots!" he exclaimed. The suitcase containing them was gone. He frantically reached under the bed, feeling for the safe. It was still there. A few antsy seconds later, he was able to confirm that his neurotransmitter was there as well.

"That your expo project?" Tony asked as he noted the thin headband. "What's it do?"

Hiro moved out from under the bed. "It controls the microbots that are missing. They're useless without it. But I can activate a remote detonator to fix that problem." He reached for his laptop, which was somehow left behind, hidden under the edge of the quilt on his bed.

"Whoa!" Tony called out, halting him. "Let's just hold up a minute and think about this. Can you track them?" He gave Hiro a serious look, all business.

The teen took a moment to calm down before answering. "We've done it before," he admitted. "Well, Baymax did the first time something like this happened. I had a microbot still with me, which he used. Of course I didn't have the transmitter to go with it. That had been stolen at the same time as most of the microbots were, which is why I installed a few safety measures in case that ever happened again. I'm not sure if the transmitter will be enough though. I didn't think to add any kind of tracking device to the overall design."

Realization struck Tony like a bolt of lightning. "That's right. I seem to remember reading something about that a few years back." He nodded in understanding. "Good thinking on the upgrades, but let's hold off on destroying them just yet. We might be able to find a way to track them and find out who's behind all this."

Hiro nodded, realizing he'd made a good point. But there was no way he was going to let that transmitter out of his sight. It was probably pure dumb luck whoever had taken the microbots hadn't realized they'd left something behind. Speaking of leaving things behind, he had to check on one other thing before they woke the others. He moved to the bathroom, pulling open the cabinet under the sink to pull out a duffle. Thankfully, what he'd hoped would still be inside was. "Okay, let's go wake the others," he suggested. "They'll need to know what's going on."

Tony gave him a wry look. "More than that," he reminded. "We've got to evacuate. It looks like you guys were the targets and I can't let that happen again. It might have just been a whim. We won't know for sure until those knuckleheads wake up, but it's no longer safe here."

For some reason, his words sent a shiver down Hiro's spine. They were in the most secure building in New York and Tony had just told him it wasn't safe anymore. Okay, that was not good, by any definition of the word. "Okay," he agreed, swallowing down the bile that had risen in his throat. Part of him knew they were in over their heads. This was so much more than just the typical situation they handled back in San Fransokyo. He just didn't know exactly what it was yet, but he was going to do his best to find out and fix it.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Wasabi, Honey Lemon, GoGo, and Fred stood outside their respective rooms, suitcases in hand, one for their clothes and one for their gear. Tony had shown impatience at their insisting on bringing a few things, but at least they were allowed to get the essentials. Wasabi had put his foot down, and when the others followed, there really wasn't much he could do about the matter. Besides, he figured they needed some semblance of normality in all that was happening. If their stuff gave it to them, then so be it.

Hiro had one extra item to lug around, Baymax's charging station. Everything else was going to be left behind in the hopes they could eventually retrieve them. And since they weren't sure if everyone there was a target, or just a specific few, they were all herded into the elevator and down the underground garage floor where a plethora of agents waited.

Wasabi watched with wide eyes as Kally was carefully moved into the van they would be using to transport them to some unknown location. It wasn't the same one as before. At least it was still dark outside, he thought, making the black paint less likely to stand out. He just hoped they weren't being watched. Experience had taught him to be overly cautious. Hiro squeeze into the van after Baymax, who had deflated enough so he wouldn't take up any unnecessary room. One of the agents had already stashed their stuff in the back.

Fred nearly choked when he noticed the agent checking the perimeter. "Dude!" he exclaimed in excitement. "We're totally hanging out with the Black Widow! How cool is that!"

A second van sat behind the first, except it already had a few agents inside. An ambulance had pulled away from the building only a few minutes earlier, lights and sirens off to avoid drawing too much attention. For all anyone knew, they were just on patrol in the early hours of the morning. Another somewhat familiar figure stood near the open van door of the second vehicle.

Honey couldn't help but stare at the man. "Is it just me or is that Dr. Bruce Banner?" she pointed towards the man in question. He was trying really hard to not stand out, looking incredibly uncomfortable.

GoGo glanced towards the man in question, her face a mask of disinterested sarcasm. "Looks like," she confirmed. "Probably not going the same way we are, though."

"You're right," Tony confirmed. "And neither am I. I'll be staying here to see what I can find out. Those guys are going to act as a decoy in case someone's watching the place, so don't press your noses against the windows." He gave Fred a knowing look.

Fred shrugged. "It's too early to see much of anything anyway," he reasoned as he let out a yawn. He was the next to crawl into the van, settling at the far end of the middle row. He was followed by Wasabi and GoGo. Honey Lemon slipped into the last seat by Hiro in the back.

Tony held the side door open, peering in at the small group. "Okay, guys, Romanoff is going with you, along with one other agent. You're to listen to them and do exactly what they say when they say it. We don't know what's going just yet but that's why I'm staying behind. We'll send Kally's things once we've got them cleared through everything."

Hiro looked up at that. "Um, could you find out if her data chip is still in her experiment at the expo? If it is, I'm sure she'd like to keep it with her." He knew if he were in her shoes, he'd want just that.

Stark nodded. "I'll have someone check and we'll send it on. I'll be giving the judges an excuse for all of you to keep you out of getting in trouble. Is there anyone any of you want me to inform of what's going on?"

Everyone seemed to exchange glances before Fred spoke up. "I'm sure my dad will eventually want to know, but he'll probably figure it out faster than you can find him. The only other person would be Hiro." He glanced at his friend.

Back in the spotlight, Hiro felt his body freeze in position. Did he really want anyone telling his aunt about what was going on? He bit his lip as he thought about it, feeling like everyone was staring at him. "Let's wait to tell my aunt about all this," he decided. "If someone is after us, it might put her in danger. All the same, if you could have someone keep an eye on her, that would make me feel better."

Tony nodded. "I'll ask Coulson to send some people to keep an eye on her," he promised. "Everyone got everything they need? Yes? Okay." He shut the door as the SHIELD agent assigned them got into the front passenger seat. He didn't look like much but if Stark said he was good, the others supposed they could work with that.

Natasha Romanoff did one last pass around the exterior before moving to the driver's side. She gave Tony a grim nod as she started the engine. The van behind them did the same. She turned to look at the passengers behind her. "If you need something, let me know so we can work things out. And by need, I'm not talking about convenience items. We're only going to stop for bathroom breaks, gas, or emergencies. Am I clear?"

The sleepy heroes nodded. They'd all agreed not to divulge their extracurricular activities to anyone unless they absolutely had to. As Hiro had learned early on, sometimes the best advantage they had was a look of innocence and the ability to surprise. All the same, Hiro was more than willing to check out the most recent information at hand as he pulled out his tablet. He'd asked JARVIS to send him the video of Kally's attack in the medical suite and was determined to go over every second of it to try and figure out just what had happened.

After a few minutes of watching the video on silent, Hiro couldn't help but remember just how tired he was. While the visuals were exciting, he really couldn't seem to keep his eyes from drooping. So, after one last attempt to get through it all without closing his eyes, he gave up. He put the device away, snuggling up against Baymax as much as he could. It wasn't the most comfortable, but he felt weird trying to cuddle up with Honey. And soon, his eyes drooped shut in real sleep.

* * *

The Bifrost settled back to dormancy as Heimdall pulled his sword from the central pedestal. The guardian had not expected to hear from Thor quite so soon, though he could understand why he'd asked for passage when looking back on what had transpired.

"Heimdall," Thor called out as soon as his feet were steady on the ground. "I must ask you about a maiden by the name of Kally Carmichael." He looked somewhat distressed and grim as he faced the man charged with protection of the rainbow bridge.

Heimdall's chest seemed to relax for the briefest of moments before he turned his gaze outward to Midgard. "It is as you suspect," he confirmed. "Kally Carmichael is the daughter of a Valkyrie. In fact, you knew her mother. You used to play with her as children."

Thor couldn't help but look shocked. "I don't recall playing with any Valkyrie as a child," he protested.

The gatekeeper merely nodded. "Your father preferred to keep her identity a secret as she was the last here in Asgard. One day, she was allowed to visit Midgard. There, she fell in love with a man and chose to stay there. She died giving birth to her only child."

Thor couldn't help but feel a pang of remorse and grief fill him. He knew exactly whom the watcher meant. He could picture her in his mind, lithe, beautiful, deadly. She had been one of the favored by Odin and her loss had caused many to mourn. But he had not heard she had died in childbirth. "What does this mean?" he asked the watchman. And why had his father not seen fit to tell him she was a member of the Valkyrie?

But Heimdall only shook his head. "I do not know. She has only recently come back to my view. But I fear she has come to the attention of those who would wish her harm on Midgard. She and her friends are fleeing. I do not yet know where they will go. But there is more to what is going on than what I can see. Of that I am sure."

Thor clapped Heimdall on the back. "If there are people out to hurt her, I must go back and protect her, if for no other reason than for her mother's sake. Will you tell my father of this development? I fear what might happen if these others find her first."

Heimdall looked him directly in the eyes. "I will be sure to tell your father of your concerns. Go and search for her. I will send messages as I am able." He moved back to the pedestal and thrust his sword down into it once more. The Bifrost reactivated with the whirling of colors. "You would do best to speak to your friend, Tony Stark, to find her."

Thor gave him a smile of appreciation before heading into the colored stream that would deliver him back to Midgard.


	19. Not Again!

The van stopped almost abruptly, causing all those asleep, minus Kally, to wake up. Various groans and yawns filled the back portion of the vehicle as the Black Widow resisted the urge to cuss.

"Can we go around them?" the man sitting next to her asked.

Romanoff shook her head, red hair reflecting the early morning light. "I don't know. We'll have to try backtracking. What a stupid time to hold a protest."

Fred yawned, stretching up as high as the roof of the car would allow. "Are we there yet?" he asked, still blinking away the sleep from his eyes.

"We appear to be stuck," Baymax observed. Despite the tinted windows, he could see outside the vehicle more clearly than any of them could. "I detect vehicles on either side of us. There appears to be approximately two hundred individuals interspersed in the area directly ahead of us."

Natasha grit her teeth. "I can see that," she retorted. "The question is how to get out of this blockade without running anyone over." Though she was very tempted to do just that.

The people outside the car were holding up signs, chanting something over and over again. Judging from the signs, they were part of some kind of political march that had taken it upon themselves to block the roads.

The man pulled out a radio. "Base, this is Mobile One. We appear to be stuck behind a protest of some kind. We're not sure how to get around it."

A female voice came over the line. "Hang tight, Mobile One. We're looking into it."

Hiro felt stiff as he disengaged himself from Baymax's side. It was far less comfortable to snuggle with the inflatable marshmallow when he wasn't fully inflated. "What time is it?" he asked as he pulled out his phone. Only two or three hours had passed since they'd left Stark Tower. That meant they were at least outside the city limits, unless they hadn't made as good on time as they'd hoped. He wasn't sure what time rush hour started in the Big Apple.

Honey shifted in her seat, trying to find a more comfortable position. She'd probably gotten more sleep than any of the others, though that wasn't saying much. "What in the world?" she exclaimed as protestors seemed to swarm the stuck cars. Some seemed to be trying to peer into the windows, though the tint went only one way, blocking out any insiders from looking in, unless they checked through the front window.

"Everyone duck down and stay out of sight," Romanoff ordered as she pulled a baseball cap over her telltale hair. "Hopefully they'll just go on past us and we'll be free in a minute."

Hiro wished he'd pulled his hoodie out of his luggage so he could hide his face inside the hood, but he hadn't. He noticed the others had already followed instructions, Wasabi having the most noticeably hard time since he was sitting right in the middle of the vehicle. Baymax shielded Kally from view, positioning her so she lay on his lap.

Several protestors began swarming more around the vehicles. Several positioned themselves on either side of the van and began rocking it. From what Hiro could tell, they were doing the same to any vehicle larger than a sedan.

"Could someone please do something about this?" Wasabi complained as he ducked like someone practicing an earthquake drill. He didn't dare lift his head as the vehicle continued to rock back and forth. "This just might make me sick." He almost wished one of his friends had given him some Benadryl. At least that way he'd have slept through all this craziness.

The radio crackled to life in the male agent's hand. "Mobile One, be advised, local riot police have been dispatched to your location. Hang tight and try not to get into trouble."

Natasha pursed her lips, not pleased with this solution. Even though she was wearing plain clothes, someone was sure to recognize her sooner than later, and that wouldn't end well. Seeing a slight opening ahead, she pushed gently on the accelerator to move forward. If she could somehow cut off the person next to them without hitting anyone, they could swing off into a side street she saw ahead.

The people outside continued to beat on the various cars, all the while chanting or waving signs. For once, Fred didn't look like he was enjoying the attention. In fact he looked kind of worried. "Is there any way we can get out of here without someone spotting us?" he asked. "I mean, it's always possible whoever was after Kally set up this riot just to keep us from getting away."

The two SHIELD agents couldn't help but exchanged glances as his words clicked. It wasn't outside the realm of possibility. Natasha shot forward a few more feet to cut off the car to her right. At least the people on that side had moved out of the way when they realized she wasn't going to stop. Chances were good they'd been agitated into the riot by outside sources. It was typical in most crowds. Someone was usually paid to incite violence, making it more likely the media would be called in. Most of the people involved weren't there to cause too much trouble until someone lit the keg, in a manner of speaking.

Loud honking came from the sedan Romanoff had cut off and the van rocked as said car rammed them from the side at an angle, denting the door. Honey and GoGo flinched a bit. "This is not going to end well," the chemist expressed as the side buckled a bit with the impact.

A helicopter flew overhead, with police markings on the side. "Looks like the cavalry is here," Romanoff stated, her knuckled going white on the steering wheel. She had little confidence in the local police to get them out of this relatively unscathed. "That's the last thing we need."

GoGo looked like she wanted to crawl into the back and retrieve her gear but didn't. For one, she still had her seat belt on. For another, Natasha saw her moving from the rear view mirror and ordered her to stop. The engineer growled, feeling like a caged tiger. "If something doesn't change soon, I'm going to bust out of here and crack some heads," she warned.

"Look!" the man up front pointed out as they slowly neared the side street.

Romanoff pressed the gas. "Hang on!" she called out as the van shot forward, knocking into the car in front, spinning it into the one next to it. They managed to move ahead and into the side street, getting a little push as the car they'd nudged swung back at the rear bumper. Seeing the way was relatively clear, she floored it, squealing the tires as she rounded the corner.

"I recommend taking the next right," Baymax spoke up from the back seat. "That way seems the most clear of potential obstacles."

The Avenger glanced back for the briefest of moments at the robot but wisely chose to follow his advice, taking the next right. Just like the marshmallow had said, the way seemed clearer. "Got anything else to say back there?"

"Hard left!" Hiro yelled as he realized a car was headed right at them from another side street.

Romanoff shook her head as she spun the wheel. "Hold on!," she called as the van careened from the impact. Thankfully the glass didn't shatter, though a few panes cracked.

"Base, this is Mobile One, we appear to have gotten clear of the main area but are having difficulties," the male agent reported over the radio.

The radio crackled. "What's your location?" the same female called over the line.

But before the agent could answer, there was a sharp ping on the glass, like something hard had hit it and he agent slumped forward.

Natasha glanced back at GoGo. "You! Grab that radio!" she ordered. "Let them know what's going on. I'm going to try and lose them."

GoGo easily slipped out of her harness and scooped up the radio as she returned to her seat. Part of her wanted to take over the driver's seat, but she decided it was better not to press the issue. "Hey, who ever's on the other line, we're being shot at. The guy in front's down."

"Who is this?" the woman asked from where ever she was stationed. She apparently thought better of her question as she continued on. "Ten-four. Shots fired. Sending backup. Will you need a replacement?"

GoGo looked up at their driver and getting a quick nod in response. "That would be a yes," she replied, pressing the talk button. "We're going to try and get out of here but yeah, that would be nice."

Honey ducked as another bullet smashed into the window next to her. The glass spider-webbed but didn't break. "Is everyone okay?" she called out, not sure how to answer her own question.

Hiro had leaned over to help protect Kally, Baymax still holding her halfway on his lap. "Let's focus on getting out of here first!" he called back to his neighbor. He could hear Wasabi hyperventilating, only mildly surprised he hadn't quite lost it yet in a tirade of exclamations and random gyrations. Wasabi did not like confrontations and this definitely was up that alley. For that matter, he should be freaking out as well, though he was sure it helped he had other things to keep his mind on.

The van shot forward once more, two dark cars close behind as they rounded opposite corners. "This is not going to end well," Natasha said through clenched teeth. The van tilted slightly as she rounded another corner. Their flight seemed to have attracted all kinds of attention, including one of the police helicopters. "Tell them they need to get the police off our backs!" she ordered. "They'll only draw more attention!"

GoGo relayed the request to the woman on the other end as she struggled to put her seat belt back on. She tried to give their location when asked for it, though it was hard with all the sudden changes in direction. Natasha's driving almost put hers to shame.

"We're sending backup," the voice over the radio crackled. "Can you make it to location Delta?"

More bullets hit the van, mostly aimed at the front windshield, which shattered. Romanoff ducked to one side as another bullet whizzed past her, narrowly missing hitting her in the head. She raised her head to glare at a car in front of them. "Oh no you don't," she stated, pressing the pedal to the floor.

Wasabi looked up in time to realize what the agent was planning on doing. "No! No! No! NO!" he protested

"You," Natasha called again, glancing briefly at GoGo. "You know how to drive?"

"Oh please no!" Wasabi all but screamed at the suggestion. "Not again!"

GoGo didn't wait for a second invitation as she snapped her belt off one more time and pressed past Wasabi, the van still rocking a bit from swerving to avoid more bullets. She got right up next to the bucket seat Natasha currently occupied. "Do what you need to do," she yelled over the air whipping through the cabin. "I got this!"

In a fluid motion, almost as if they'd practice the maneuver, the two women changed places, GoGo plopping her gum onto the dash as she grabbed the wheel. This freed Natasha to grab a gun she'd had stashed in the glove box. "Get me as close to that car as you can without getting yourself hit!" the Black Widow ordered.

"We're all going to die!" Wasabi screamed as GoGo shifted gears on the car, making the engine all but groan from the strain.

More bullets flew into the open area up front but Natasha had braced herself, gun raised. There were no side streets available down this stretch and she chose her target wisely, aiming for the hand sticking out of the window of the car in front of them. She let off a shot, hitting her target. "Veer left!" she ordered and GoGo was only happy to comply.

Honey breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the gun from the other car go flying, but her relief came too soon as another, larger gun came into view. "Look out!" she shrieked as a spray of bullets headed their way.

GoGo ducked as the bullets hit into the frame, narrowly avoiding the engine and radiator. Despite not being able to currently see the road, she kept going. A stray bullet ricocheted, hitting Fred in the shoulder, causing him to cry out. Anger rising in her, GoGo shifted gears once more, making the car grind in a not so good way, but it seemed to give them a burst of speed. "You so did not!" she exclaimed as she risked a look over the steering wheel.

They were coming up fast on the car ahead of them now, which seemed to have a hard time deciding if they should speed up or hope they shot the driver. It gave GoGo the advantage she needed to ram them from behind, sending everyone inside against their restraining harnesses.

Almost out of nowhere, Iron Man joined the party. He shot off his repulsers at the cars following behind them, sending them crashing into poles or other obstacles on the sidewalks. "Did someone ask for some backup?" he called over the same radio frequency.

When GoGo had moved up front, she'd dropped the radio, which Honey now hesitantly picked up. It had rolled closer to her position. She winced as Natasha squeezed off another round, incapacitating the person who'd been firing at them. "That would be us," she called out of the radio. "Please tell us the way's clear from here!"

Iron Man swooped ahead of them, pushing the opposing car out of GoGo's way. "Head straight ahead and take the first left. I'll guide you out of here. Where's Romanoff?"

Natasha had braced herself against the dash, ready to take another shot if necessary. "Tell him I'm a little busy," she called out as the car they'd hit crashed into a storefront, courtesy of Tony Stark. She squeezed off one shot towards the driver before he could do anything. She then pulled back, looking behind her. "Give me the radio," she commanded once they were clear of the obstacle, holding out a hand to Honey.

Fred cradled his arm as GoGo made a sharp left as instructed. Sirens filled the silence behind them but they gradually grew fainter as the adrenaline junky followed Stark's instructions. After another ten minutes of driving in circles, Black Widow keeping an eye out for potential targets, they pulled into what looked like an abandoned parking structure, heading to the second of five underground levels.

Romanoff turned to look back at the passengers. "Everyone okay back there?" She didn't miss the sight of blood seeping through Fred's shirt near his upper arm. It looked like the bullet had hit the meaty part, hopefully missing any major arteries or bones. All things considered, she was a little surprised they weren't in worse condition, though chances were good everyone had suffered from some degree of whiplash, with maybe the exception of their current driver. "That was some nice driving," she complimented as she moved into the back area, trying to open the side door.

"Okay, will someone please tell me what's going on?!" Wasabi demanded. His face looked paler than usual. He'd had his fair share of craziness over the past years, but this was beyond crazy. He thought it might rank even higher than when Hiro had turned into a toddler before being kidnapped.

"Is anyone else hurt?" Natasha asked, ignoring the irate man.

Baymax gently lifted Kally back to an upright position. "Everyone seemed to have sustained minor injuries," he reported. "I detect muscle strain in all currently within this vehicle, with the exception of Kally." It probably had helped that she'd been unconscious the entire time. He just wished he knew how much longer that was going to last.

Before anyone else could add to that, Iron Man yanked the side door from the van and threw it to one side. "Please tell me no one's dead," he requested, breathing a slight sigh of relief when he realized everyone was still breathing.

Fred winced as he tried to stem the flow of blood. "Not dead yet," he replied, trying to sound like his usual self and failing. "Just a bit shot up and a whole lot of shaken." It hurt worse than the one time he'd been shot fighting the exoskeletons. Maybe it was because of the location.

"Fred's injury requires my immediate attention," Baymax informed, though he was unable to reach the hero due to the difference in seating arrangements.

"Hill should have supplied some new cars. She thought it would be better to use two cars over a van," Tony announced. "Less conspicuous after what just happened."

Romanoff was all business from there. She quickly went to check the parameter, accepting a small transmitter from Tony. Why she didn't have one earlier was anyone's guess, though GoGo had her thoughts on the matter. Or maybe it wasn't that she hadn't had one before. This one might be more secure. Too much chatter tended to alert people that didn't need alerting. Instead, she went to Fred, who'd slid toward the door. Wasabi was dry heaving near one of the supporting pillars.

With Honey's help, Hiro and Baymax exited the vehicle, leaving Kally sleeping on the back seat. Honey stayed there to keep an eye on her, just in case something happened. "I knew I should have stocked up on painkillers," she sighed, feeling the beginnings of the whiplash affect her.

Helmet open, Tony looked around at the somewhat bedraggled group. "Okay, we're going to have to split into two groups this time around," he informed them. As he spoke, his suit seemed to fold up upon itself as he stepped free of it, revealing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt underneath. The whole ensemble of armor constricted into the form of a briefcase, much like Baymax did when he deactivated, only smaller. "There are two cars just down the next aisle. I'll drive one while Natasha drives the other. We'll each go different routes but end up in the same place. Any questions?"

Wasabi looked up from his position near the pillar, looking out of breathe and a little worse for wear. "I have one, who's going with who? Or do we get to decide?"

"No matter who goes with who, Baymax and Kally are staying with me," Hiro spoke up almost protectively. It was no secret Hiro needed the huggable healthcare bot, though it was somewhat surprising he insisted on staying close to Kally.

Natasha came back at that moment. "Area's secure," she announced as she holstered her gun. "Hill says we should get going while there's still an open window. I'll head out the west exit. You'll take the east."

"I'm going with Black Widow," GoGo stated as she popped another piece of gum into her mouth. "Fred, you're with me. Someone's gotta keep an eye on you."

Wasabi looked between the two groups a few times. "If you're going with Black Widow, I'm staying far away from that one," he stated firmly. He was not about to be subjected to her driving once more.

"I guess that means I'm with them," Honey said as she nodded towards GoGo and Fred.

Baymax took a step forward. "I would prefer to have Fred nearby in case of complications with his injury," he stated.

Reminded of the otaku's wound, Natasha moved closer, instructing the mascot to remove his shirt so she could see the damage. "Looks like you were lucky," she commented as she pulled out a pocket knife and a lighter.

Fred took a step away. "What's that for?"

Tony saw the direction this was going and waved a hand. "Whoa! Just hold on a minute. There should be a first aid kit in the back of at least one of the cars." He rushed to make sure.

Hiro moved in to watch what was going on. "Um, maybe you should have Baymax make sure he didn't, I don't know, nick anything in there or something," he finished lamely under her scrutinizing eye.

"It should be safe to remove the bullet," Baymax informed. "I do not detect any damage that will cause immediate concern once the bullet is removed, so long as any resulting blood flow is deterred."

Hearing that, Natasha went ahead and heated up the knife. "This is going to hurt, but try to hold still," she instructed.

Fred closed his eyes in preparation, opening them as the hot knife slid under his skin. He couldn't help but suck in his breath, though he didn't flinch or pull away. In less than a minute, the bullet was out.

"Found it," Tony called out as he carried the first aid kit over, realizing Romanoff had already removed the bullet. "You could have waited, you know," he sighed as he placed the kit in the open van door. "Well, at least we can sew you up."

Under Baymax's watchful eye, Natasha used the supplies in the trauma kit to close Fred's wound, slathering on some antibacterial ointment before applying a bandage. "You might want to get a tetanus shot, especially if you're not current," she advised as she finished up. "But that can wait." She turned to Wasabi. "Is there any specific reason you don't want to ride with me?"

Wasabi looked like a deer caught in headlights as the center of attention moved to him. "It's not your driving," he hedged. "It's just that every time GoGo ends up driving, bad things tend to happen."

GoGo gave him a look. "It's not my fault," she retorted, glaring at him to remind him without letting the cat out of the back. Every time she'd had to take over the wheel hadn't been because of a joy ride. Her skills had been necessary, even if the vehicles tended not to survive the experience. the one exception was driving Fred's car to get ransom money for Hiro.

"Well then we'll just have to make sure she doesn't have to," Natasha stated. "I'm not expecting any more trouble so you should be fine."

Tony finished tying a bandana for Fred to use as a sling, at least until they could find a replacement for it. "I think you should ride with Romanoff," he stated as he looked at Wasabi. "Fred should be in a vehicle where his vitals can be monitored. Natasha can't do that if she's driving."

Fred had to lean against the side of the van a bit, now that all was said and done. He couldn't help but feel a bit woozy, partly from loss of blood and partly from pain. "I think he's right," he said through pain-clenched teeth. "Though I wouldn't say no to some painkillers about now."

Wasabi knew they were right. "Fine," he reluctantly agreed. "But I'm sitting up front." That way it would make it harder for GoGo to take the wheel one more time. "Honey, I guess that means you're with us."

"That's fine," Romanoff said as she opened the back of the van and began taking out their luggage. "Keep track of which is yours," she instructed as everyone went around to help her. After some finagling, they got all of the luggage in the right trunks of the two cars in question. Both vehicles were average in make, one a dark blue, the other a nondescript dark wine color. And both had reinforced glass, just to be safe.

"Okay," Tony called out as Hiro helped Baymax settled the still unconscious teen in the back seat. "I'm going to keep on the line just to be safe. Just give us the all clear," he instructed Hill over his link. With everyone safely buckled up, Fred sitting in the front passenger seat, he started the engine and headed in the opposite direction of the other car. "Here's hoping we don't run into any more trouble."


	20. You Know How To Drive?

Phil Coulson watched as several agents combed through the remains of the medical suite in Stark Tower. Thanks to Tony, he had a copy of the video, but they still needed to find that syringe they'd used on Miss Carmichael. With that, they could hopefully identify whatever they'd used to drug her with and countermand it.

The two assailants were currently undergoing treatment at a secure hospital, though he doubted they'd wake up any time soon. At least not soon enough to get them the much needed answers. He hadn't recognized either of them from the captured images, but that didn't mean anything. It didn't help that they weren't on any facial recognition database either. The third man who'd infiltrated one of the guest rooms had used some kind of facial reflecting device, eliminating the possibility of their discovering his identity. All they knew about him was he was a male, about five foot eight, well built, without no fear of heights. He'd jumped from the window and flown off on some kind of hang glider.

Coulson doubted there would be any fingerprints. From what he saw in the video, both assailants had worn gloves. They certainly weren't making this easy on them, he sighed. Hopefully they'd catch a break soon. It didn't help that Tony had run off when the kids had gotten attacked only halfway to the safe house. Chances were good he wouldn't be coming back any time soon. He'd have to coordinate with Hill to be sure.

"Got something," one of the agents called out as he held up a discarded syringe. The plunger seemed to have been partially depressed, though there was still some of the serum inside the plastic tube. the needle was bent.

"Get that to the lab for immediate analysis," Coulson ordered as he put his hands in his pocket. He could have the information relayed to Stark or Romanoff as soon as they figured out what it was. Things could have been worse, he supposed. "Okay, wrap it up here," he instructed the other agents. "I'm heading out to the university."

One team had already been dispatched to check into an incident reported at the dorms at NYU. The room in question belonged to one Kally Carmichael. Her dorm mate had been attacked by an unknown assailant, the room trashed. At least the roommate was only a little worse for wear, with a few stitches for her troubles. But without knowing what all had been in the room, there was no way of telling if anything was missing. The intruders hadn't left much to chance, going so far as to rip the bedding and slashing the mattress. At the very least, he could retrieve some of Miss Carmichael's clothes to be forwarded on to the safe house. If they weren't destroyed as well.

"Keep an eye on things," Coulson requested of the agents he was leaving behind as he left the building. He slipped into the driver's seat of a dark sedan waiting for him, heading for the university. With luck, no one had tampered with Miss Carmichael's experiments. And, at the very least, he could retrieve the data chip the Hamada kid had mentioned.

* * *

"I don't know about you guys, but I could totally go for like a cheeseburger or maybe a burrito," Fred spoke up as Tony continued to drive. It was after nine now and he was hungry. And if he was hungry, he felt sure the other two had to be. Kally didn't count as she still was out of it.

Tony had managed to get them as far as Staten Island at this point; taking them away from the craziness they'd experiences near Brooklyn. They all definitely did not want a repeat of that. But at least things were going smoothly so far. "I suppose we could stop by a drive-thru or something," he suggested. "But I can't be the one behind the wheel if we do."

"You're damn right," Natasha said over the headset. "You're face would be plastered all over the internet in no time."

Hiro's stomach grumbled. He'd tried to go back to sleep but hadn't had much success. He assessed the information at hand, realizing Fred, though he had a license, wouldn't be a good pick to act as a decoy driver. He didn't look that great at the moment, still pale from pain and loss of blood. He needed something in him for sure. And even though Tony had given them all bottled water, he knew it wouldn't be enough to replace what Fred had lost. He hesitantly raised his hand. "I could drive," he hazarded. "I do have a learner's permit."

Tony seemed to calculate his offer, muttering to himself in a tone so low neither of his conscious passengers could hear him. "That just might work," he finally stated. "You are sixteen now, right?" He glanced back just to confirm what he already knew. "You know how to drive?"

Hiro gave him a hesitant grin. "Yeah, I mean I've been practicing when Fred or Wasabi will let me. We just find a fast food place, stop maybe a block away, switch out drivers, and have me drive in, get the food, then drive another block or two to a place we can switch back. Easy."

"One problem with that, little dude," Fred spoke up, obviously holding back due to the pain, "someone might see us switching up a block away from whatever place we go to. Probably be wise to switch sooner than later and just hope no cops pull us over. You don't have your license yet, remember? And I don't remember how the permit thing works out here."

How could he forget? Hiro wondered as he smacked himself in the head. If only Fred hadn't been shot, or Tony was less well known, it wouldn't be an issue. But it was an issue. "I don't know," he finally sighed.

"Now hold on there a minute," Tony called back to him. "I didn't say we weren't going to go that route, but Fred does make a valid point. We can't just go switching too close to wherever we're going. I'm going to have to stop for gas soon anyway so we can switch there. Sound like a plan?"

"I sure hope you know what you're doing," Natasha said over the Bluetooth.

Spotting a nearby gas station that could be considered "out of the way", Tony pulled in. He made sure to slide on a pair of dark sunglasses and pull on a baseball cap before he got out to fill the tank. "Fred, you should sit in back," he instructed. "That way I can be up front to make sure nothing happens. That and I look more like I could be his dad than you do."

Hiro opened his door, Fred doing the same. If the mascot was a bit slower about it than usual, no one commented. Hiro had to help him out though as he got out of the front and moved to the back. "You good?" Hiro asked before shutting the back door, glad this was a four-door model.

Fred gave him a thumbs up before trying to settle his arm more comfortably around the seat belt so it didn't cause problems. "Kind of makes me feel like a kid again," he tried to joke.

Hiro slid into the driver's seat as Tony finished filling up the gas. He had to manipulate the seat so he could reach the pedals and see out the front window, which vexed him no end. He was still waiting for that supposed growth spurt to happen. An inch or two didn't count. Short of sitting on a phone book, this was probably the best he was getting, he sighed as the seat refused to move any closer or higher. "Well this should be fun," he mused. He wasn't about to ask for some kind of booster seat.

Tony finished pumping gas, getting a receipt from the pump, glad he hadn't had to inside to pay. That would not have ended well. He slid into the front passenger seat. "Okay, everyone buckled up back there?" He glanced back to make sure.

Kally was mostly upright with the shoulder harness across her chest, her head leaning against Baymax's side. The healthcare robot was buckled in around the middle so he could be partially inflated for added comfort to their unconscious member. Fred was good to go.

Hiro started the engine, his heart pounding a bit. He'd never actually been behind the wheel of a moving vehicle like this before. It wasn't like he was just going around an empty parking lot or anything. He was about to head out onto a real road with real cars. And this car, though not exactly new, had a lot of bells and whistles. "You got this," he told himself, his knuckles white on the steering wheel.

"Relax, kid," Tony told him, still wearing the sunglasses and hat. "Driving's just like riding a bike. Think about it too much and you mess up. Just go with the flow and you'll be fine."

The teen genius gave a nervous kind of laugh as he put the car in gear. The fact of the matter was he was about to head into actual traffic, even if it wasn't as heavy as it could be, in an area he didn't know, with Tony freaking Stark in the vehicle. Yeah, no need to be nervous. None at all. He didn't release the pressure of his grip on the wheel as he touched the gas pedal enough to make them crawl forward.

"You're going to have to give her a little more gas," Tony admonished with a slight hint of asperity. Part of him wondered what he'd been thinking to allow this. But what was the alternative? Convenience store food wouldn't cut it, though another part of him wished he'd thought to at least grab some Gatorade or something. That would have helped Fred out, at least for the moment.

Hiro tried to comply, managing a nice ten mile per hour crawl. At least he was still in the parking lot and not out on the street, the billionaire thought. Maybe it would have been better to switch places in a larger one. That way the teen could practice a bit more before getting on the real streets. Well, no time like the present, he supposed. Either Hiro sank or swam. "Okay, let's get back on the road," he instructed.

After a few more nervous moments, Hiro did as instructed, smoothly joining the less crowded street off to the right of the gas station. He felt a bit more comfortable that way. "Um… so where exactly am I going?" he asked.

Tony had his phone out, pulling up a map. "JARVIS," he said to the device, "where's the closest place we can grab a bite to eat without giving Hiro a heart attack since he's the one driving?"

"Are you certain it is wise to allow him behind the wheel? I understand he is not yet licensed." JARVIS replied dryly. But when Tony didn't answer, he rattled off directions to the closest fast food chain in the area. "Do be careful," he intoned as he finished.

Behind his sunglasses, Tony quirked his brows as he rolled his eyes. "Okay," he said, turning his attention back to Hiro, who had at least managed to reach the speed limit, though there were cars still passing him by. "We're going to make a left at the next light so you're going to need to get over a lane. Don't worry, you've got this."

With the guidance of the older man, Hiro managed to evade getting hit, though there were a few horns in protest at his driving skills, or lack thereof. And, after a nerve-wracking ten minutes, they finally pulled into line at a burger joint's drive-thru.

"Relax," Tony reminded. "Someone might get suspicious. I'm going to pretend to be asleep when we pull up to the window so just order me a regular burrito meal with a large coffee. If they ask about cream or sugar, get some on the side. You guys can get whatever you want, within reason. I'm going to give you some cash, but we don't have an unlimited supply at the moment, got it?"

Hiro nodded as he licked his lips. They were coming up on the menu board and the colorful pictures made his stomach growl in anticipation. He was just a normal kid with a normal family just stopping by to get something quick on the way back home from a trip to the big city. Nothing to it. He pulled forward as the car ahead of him moved.

After some dithering, Hiro and Fred decided on what they wanted. And true to his word, Tony was at least pretending to be asleep, his eyes potentially closed behind his shades, head turned to lean against the seat, his arms loosely crossed over his chest. That way he could still keep an eye on Hiro and the cashier/server without seeming to.

When Hiro finally made it to the order window, he fumbled a bit as he told the cashier what they wanted, then handed enough bills to pay for it. He had to undo his seat belt to reach up to the window, but at least there weren't any mishaps and soon he was headed to the second window to pick up their food.

The girl at the front window looked maybe a couple years older than him, a year or two younger than Fred. She gave him a funny look as he waved hesitantly back. "That your dad?" she asked, nodding towards Tony.

"Yeah," Hiro replied, his voice cracking a bit. "Had a long night last night." Well, at least he wasn't outright lying, he supposed. At least not about how long the night had been.

The fast food worker seemed disinterested after that, handing him out bottles of juice and one large coffee, cream and sugar in a small bag. Hiro had to juggle a bit as he passed one bottle back to Fred and put the other between his legs so he could put the coffee in the cup colder, the small bag next to it. By the time he'd gotten things situated, the girl was impatiently waiting for him to take his large bag of food.

"Thanks," Hiro said as he accepted the last bag. He only got an eye roll in reply as the attendant closed the window, her contact with him over.

"Forward," Tony whispered, still pretending to be asleep.

Reminded to put the car back in gear, Hiro almost sped out of the lane, hitting the brakes a bit, causing the car to shudder. He clenched his teeth as he focused on getting them out of the way of the car behind them, trying hard to not hyperventilate. Was this how Wasabi felt when GoGo drove? It was so much more nerve-wracking behind the wheel, he decided.

Once they'd cleared the parking lot, Tony turned to pick up the coffee cup. He opened up the small bag, groaning. "Half and half? Really? What is this world coming to?" But he opened the small containers and emptied them into his cup, along with a couple of packets of sugar. There were some packets of artificial sweetener in there too, but he ignored them. If he was going to have to drink regular coffee, he was not going to adulterate it with fake sweeteners.

Hiro continued to look pensive as he pulled back out onto the main road, narrowly avoiding getting hit by a car whose driver didn't want to go the speed limit. Luckily, the other car swerved around, though the yelled obscenities didn't help the teen's mood. But at least they were back on track. He just hoped they could find another parking lot where it wouldn't matter who saw them so he could switch back with the real driver in the group. Driving under this kind of pressure was for the birds.

Tony sipped his brew, feeling thankful it had come from a fresh pot. There was that at least, though part of him had really wished they'd had an espresso machine so he could have gotten either a cappuccino or at least a latte. He let Hiro drive a few more miles before having him pull over in a shopping center so they could switch places. "Not bad, kid," he said as he clapped Hiro on the back as they walked around the car.

Hiro felt a small glow of pleasure at the praise, though he knew he could have done better. He was all too happy to hand Fred one of the burritos. They'd all decided to go the burrito route as it seemed the least messy of all the choices, though part of him wished he'd gone with the sweet rolls instead. Tony pulled his burrito out and unwrapped half of it before putting the car back in gear.


	21. Nightshade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little note, guys, hearing what you think goes a long way in encouraging me to keep writing. So far I haven't gotten a single comment. Let me know what you like or don't like or how it makes you feel. Silence from the audience is an author's worst enemy.

The dark van pulled up near the front of a typical looking house. It was one of several on the street, all looking pretty much the same, a sort of aged look to them all. Dr. Bruce Banner stared at the front door. Not having had the same difficulties as the other party, they'd made good time and had reached the safe house a lot sooner than they'd anticipated. Apparently whoever was after those kids hadn't fallen for the bait.

They'd driven past the area several times, just to make sure it was clear. The house they'd parked in front of wasn't actually the one they were aiming for. It wouldn't do to point out the exact house right off the bat, just in case. One couldn't be too careful.

Bruce exited the vehicle, an earwig in one ear as he nonchalantly walked down the street to another house a few lots down. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, but that didn't mean anything. He knew there were agents still in the van, waiting on events while he went first. They''d insisted, mostly because if someone tried to shoot at him he'd just turn into the Hulk. "I don't see anything out of the usual," he reported, then paused. He held up one hand in signal to wait.

Slowly, the man looked out of the corner of his eye where he'd thought he saw something moving. "Uh, guys, we've got company!" he called out over the frequency as he realized what he'd seen was the barrel of a gun poking out of the neighboring house's window. "How on earth did they find us!?"

Gunfire erupted through the partially opened window and Banner dived. When he came back up, he had transformed into the Hulk. He let out a mighty roar as he expanded his chest before bounding towards the house in question. The bullets aimed his way seemed to just bounce off of his green skin.

"Base! This is Mobile Two! The bird's nest has been compromised. I repeat the nest has compromised!" the driver of the van called over the radio. He went silent as another hail of bullets from another location shattered the glass.

* * *

"Echo One, Echo Two, do not approach target destination. I repeat do not approach target destination. The nest has been compromised," Agent Hill called out over the radio, causing Tony to cuss.

Fred looked up from his second bottle of juice. Having food in him helped a lot, though he was still in a lot of pain. "Tony, what's going on?" he asked, looking far from happy with the tone the man had used.

"Safe house has visitors," Tony answered him tersely as he slammed one hand against the steering wheel. Getting secure locations large enough for the kind of party they had wasn't easy. If there had only been a few of them, it would have been something different. But as things stood, they didn't have many options. "What do you want us to do?" he asked the agent over the radio.

"Hold on," Hill instructed. "We're working on it."

Hiro bit his lip, tasking blood as his teeth went through the skin. His heart pounded. "How did they find it?" he asked, not sure he really wanted to know.

Tony shook his head. "Anyone's guess. Mine is there's a leak somewhere." He pulled the headset from his ear and muted it. "We gotta come up with another place and fast. We can't just keep circling the globe."

Fred thought about that for a minute. "Uh, where exactly are we right now?" he asked as he looked out the window.

"Uh, I'd say we're somewhere in Woodbridge Township," Tony replied, looking for any signs that might confirm that.

The mascot nodded. "Okay, I know a place we can hang out."

Tony turned to glance back at him as they stopped at a red light. "Are you saying you know a place we don't that will be secure enough to keep you guys safe?"

Fred shrugged. "Well, it should be secure enough. I mean it's not like it's common knowledge we own it. It's in my mom's name, after all."

"Fred!" Hiro also glanced back, not sure where the otaku was going with this. "If you've got a suggestion, now would be a good time to give it."

The mascot resisted the urge to shrug; wincing as he accidentally jostled his shoulder. "My mom's side of the family used to own a lot of land out by Lake Hiawatha. She still has a villa there. I could call ahead and they'd probably have it ready by the time we got there. I think there should be enough room, though some of us might have to share a room."

The light turned green and Tony guided the car forward as he calculated the risks. "And you're sure no one else knows about it but your family?"

"Pretty sure," Fred nodded. "I mean, the staff knows, obviously, but it's not like the family island. We don't go there too often, though there's a caretaker on staff just in case one of us gets the fancy, if you know what I mean."

Tony nodded as he worked it all out, including how long it would take to get there. "Okay," he said slowly. "That could work. You trust this caretaker?"

"Well, yeah," Fred replied. "He's known me since I was a kid. Why wouldn't I trust him?"

That was all Tony needed to hear. He pulled the headset back on, reactivating it. "Base, we've got a new location. I'll text you and Echo Two the location. That way we can keep this as tight lipped as possible. I'm pretty sure there's a leak there somewhere."

"Copy that, Echo One," Hill said over the line. "Got that, Echo Two?"

"Copy," Romanoff replied. "Waiting on coordinates."

Tony had Hiro pass his cell phone back to Fred so he could put in the address and send it to agents Hill and Romanoff. "Oh, and Base, you hear anything back from Coulson yet? He was supposed to be running that serum they used on one of our guests. Any word on that?"

"Not yet," came the reply. "I'll have him call you."

Not entirely pleased with that answer, Tony nodded anyway. "Fair enough," he said before taking the headset off once more and deactivating it. "JARVIS, make doubly sure you scramble the GPS on this thing so they can't find us," he instructed.

"Of course, sir."

* * *

Coulson couldn't help but frown as Agent Maria Hill gave him the bad news. He had no idea how this had happened, or who could have compromised them in such a short amount of time. The fact that there was very likely a leak was disconcerting at best. It spoke to the possibility that this was planned far more in advance than any of them wanted to even contemplate.

This, of course, left them with a lot of questions. If their intended targets were the students from San Fransokyo, along with Miss Carmichael, why hadn't they tried to take them before the student expo? It just didn't make sense. Unless there was more to it than just a simple snatch and grab. Taking the California students would have been more difficult back home if whoever was behind this only operated on the east coast. But the question still remained why.

A med tech came up to him as he stared out of the command center's window. She handed him a report, something he'd been anticipating. It looked like they'd finally identified the compound in the syringe. And from what the report said, it was some kind of extract of nightshade. He pulled out his phone. Tony needed to know about this as soon as possible.

* * *

Tony's phone rang in Fred's hands. He hadn't yet returned it to Tony, mostly because the older man was still driving. "Uh, Tony, looks like you got a guy named Coulson calling you?" He held up the phone as it continued to vibrate.

"Hand it up," Tony instructed, reaching back for the phone. As soon as it was in his hand, he activated it. "This is Tony," he answered. "Oh, hey Agent. Yeah, we're headed to the new location now. Wait, you've got a line on that serum?" He nodded a few times. "Uh huh. Isn't that a poison? I see. Got it." He ended the call, tossing the phone into the now empty cup holder. They'd emptied out the trash with the last gas stop.

Hiro fidgeted in the front seat. "What did he say?" He didn't like the idea that Kally had been poisoned. Hearing that, he couldn't help but look back at the still unconscious girl in the back seat.

"They gave her some kind of extract of nightshade," Stark replied. "Chances are good it wasn't meant to poison her, just knock her out, but she'll probably be disoriented when she wakes up. Coulson thinks it's a good idea to not tell her what happened until she's fully back to normal."

Baymax seemed to perk up at that announcement. "Nightshade was commonly used as an anesthetic in the medieval era. In small doses, it induces an unconscious state that typically lasts between four to twelve hours. However, when the patient regains consciousness, several adverse reactions are possible. These reactions include disorientation, nausea, dry-heaving, severe headaches, sensitivity to outside stimuli, and irritability. These symptoms may vary in intensity pending on the physical/emotional state of the patient during administration and dosage."

"Well this should be fun," Tony snarked. It would be just his luck to have her wake up in a total state of disorientation and still in fight mode. He wondered how that would go down and mentally prepared himself for the possibilities. The good news was they were at least outside of any cities so if they had to stop, they were less likely to be observed doing it. That and she was at least partially restrained due to the seat belt. "And how long might those symptoms last?"

The healthcare bot contemplated that for a moment. "Disorientation typically tends to occur for the first few minutes of consciousness, as well as general nausea and dry-heaving. All other symptoms usually last between one to two hours."

"Doesn't sound like a fun time," Fred observed. And even though his shoulder still ached from the injury he'd sustained, he felt fairly sure he wouldn't trade it for what Kally was sure to go through. "But at least we know what to expect, am I right?"

Baymax nodded. "I recommend playing calming music and speaking to her in a similar manner. It might be wise to stop at the next convenience store to purchase crackers or some other form of sustenance that will be gentle to her stomach. She will require some form of liquid, excluding dairy and juice, until her condition becomes more stable to combat dehydration.

Tony nodded. "Got it. We'll make the next stop and just hope she's still out of it enough to not cause a scene."


	22. Should Be Interesting

Wasabi stared out of the window of their car. They were passing more pastoral land now, but at least they'd managed to get a bite of something to eat while on this crazy road trip. It was after lunch time now and he couldn't help but feel the sleep coming back over him. It wasn't easy sleeping in a car and most of them hadn't gotten much anyway, what with all that had happened. "I hope we're almost there," he yawned. "I could really good use a nap."

Honey and GoGo exchanged glances with each other. Natasha looked back at them with a partially raised eyebrow. The two girls had been the ones to order the food and distribute it. They were the less likely to stand out. And the Black Widow wouldn't be surprised if one of them had slipped a little something extra into the man's cup. In fact she was pretty sure GoGo had, though she chose not to comment on it. She likely had her reasons.

Within a few minutes, Wasabi was out, snoring away as he leaned against the side of the car. "Finally," GoGo said as she stretched. "Now we can go at a more decent pace without him complaining. I still can't believe he got after you for running a yellow light. Wait. Actually, I can."

Natasha couldn't help but let out a little snort at that. The man was a stickler for rules, which was not necessarily a bad thing, but it did mean a certain level of inflexibility existed. Well, there was always one, she supposed. It wasn't like she didn't follow the rules. She did. She just knew when it was necessary to bend them a little.

"You might want to take this opportunity while he's asleep," Honey spoke up. "Hopefully he won't be as mad at us this time, though I don't think he'll suspect anything. We didn't give him as big of a dose this time." She sent a mental apology Wasabi's way, hoping he wouldn't realize what had happened.

Romanoff couldn't help but look back at the two women with an appraising eye. Apparently this was something they'd done before, just from their words alone, though she suspected it wasn't as unusual a practice for them as just that either. But it did give her a much needed reprieve from his constant back seat driving. "All right then," she said as she pressed down on the accelerator. "This should be interesting."

* * *

Kally woke with a start, her heart pounding. She had no idea where she was; just that something was restraining her movements. When she reached to grab it, she felt some kind of harness across her chest. She couldn't help but pull at it, trying to either break it or at least get it off of her. Everything seemed hazy, despite the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Part of her knew there was a threat there, though another part of her wanted to just shut down, the headache almost overwhelming her. But the fight or flight part of her wouldn't be ignored.

She pulled against the belt across her, not understanding how to disengage it. She let out a few grunts of frustration, trying not to hyperventilate. The material was too strong for her to break. She didn't recognize where she was, nor could she see it clearly enough to decide if she really did or didn't recognize anything around her.

"Shh, it is all right," a soft voice said to her right. She could feel warm vinyl against her arm as she struggled. There was something familiar about that voice, familiar and reassuring. "You are safe."

The sound of something ruffling against fabric came from just a bit further to her right. "Hey, Tony, I think she's awake." She caught the sight of a beanie out of the corner of her eye.

Kally blinked rapidly, feeling sluggish as her vision blurred once more before slowly coming back into focus. "Where am I?" she asked quickly, not sure what was going on. The disorientation only seemed to intensify.

Someone was leaning back to face her from the front passenger seat of what she correctly identified as a car. "Morning," the smaller person said, bringing to mind dark hair in dire needs of haircut, brown eyes, and a skinny frame. "Or should I say afternoon? You've been out for quite a while now."

Kally's heart rate slowed a bit as she put names to the voices, then her stomach seemed to twist uncomfortably. "I think I'm going to be sick," she announced as she tried to bend forward against the seat belt. It didn't want to budge.

"Get her a bag," the driver ordered, not so much as deviating in what he was doing. "I don't want to have to clean anything up, if you know what I mean."

Kally heaved into the bag Baymax held for her, though nothing came up. Her stomach cramped painfully as her body contorted against the belt. She couldn't help but gasp as bile tried to come up but didn't. Apparently there was nothing to come up after all. "I don't feel so good," she admitted as she leaned back against the seat.

"I recommend trying to drink some water," Baymax intoned as he held out a bottle of the stuff. "Please only take a few sips to avoid further agitating your body until we are certain how it will react."

The teen obediently took the bottle, resisting the urge to gulp down the cool liquid. After two sips, she thrust the bottle away from her so quickly a bit sloshed back up through the open mouth. Spasms shook her body as her stomach heaved again, expelling the water she'd just swallowed into the bag the robot held for her. "I hate throwing up," she stated breathlessly as soon as she was finished. But at least the sensation of fading this time.

Baymax moved the bag out of the way. "You will be all right," he reassured, noting the reddening of her skin, not an uncommon symptom from both her earlier allergic reaction and the partial poisoning. "Please try to rest."

Kally couldn't help but fall back against the slight cushioning, the cold sweat beading on her forehead as well as her arms. "What happened?" she asked, still squinting her eyes. The bright light threatened to make her head explode and she moved one hand to try and keep the light out. "I feel like someone beat me up and took my lunch money."

Hiro continued to look back at Kally as she went through the initial symptoms Baymax had described only an hour earlier. "That bad?" he tried joking. Inside, he was just relieved she was awake. Part of him had started to really worry about that. He knew nightshade was also used as a deadly poison.

"Why's it so bright?" she winced.

Fred couldn't help but try and lean around Baymax to get a better look at her. His arm prevented him from moving too far though. He thought about answering her initial question but wisely refrained, remembering Tony's admonition earlier to let her recover from the side effects first. "It's day time," he said instead. "I thought you'd all like to go see my family's vacation home after the chaos of last night so we're going on a little road trip."

Images of two people in the dark flashed behind Kally's closed eyes and she shuddered. Had it been a dream? Part of her said it had to be. There was no way she could have done what she saw herself doing in those images. All the same, she felt horrible. And now that her stomach had calmed down, she couldn't help but feel empty inside. "Can I have a little more water?" she asked.

Fred opened another bottle and handed it to her. The other one had fallen to the floor, spilling all over. He'd tossed a handful of napkins down to try and clean up the mess but knew it would require more. "Just take it easy for a bit," he advised. "You've had a rough night."

Kally took a few careful sips, waiting in between to see how it would all settle. Apparently her body was more willing to accept the offering this go around than it had earlier. "I remember feeling sick," she recalled. "And I went to the bathroom, thinking I'd throw up. I was having a hard time breathing."

Hiro resisted the urge to crawl over the seat to reach her. He might bump into Tony, which wouldn't be good, even if they were on a sort of country road with little traffic. "You had an allergic reaction. Baymax says the shellfish Tony was cooking triggered it. Luckily, we got to you in time to stop it."

"Oh," she replied, feeling like every part of her ached. "Is that why I feel like someone mopped the ground with me?"

Hiro and Fred exchanged glances, Hiro making a sort of grimacing face. "Something like that. I had a reaction once and it was sort of similar. Not something I want to repeat so yeah, probably."

Tony couldn't help but glance over at the teen genius. This was the second time he'd heard Hiro might have suffered anaphylaxis at some point, though he still felt fairly sure it wasn't recorded in his medical records. He'd have to look into that.

"On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?" Baymax inquired as he looked at Kally.

Kally lay back with her eyes closed. "Which part of me? My head's like a ten and the rest of me is like a seven. I feel like if anyone touches me, it'll feel like someone's rubbing sandpaper on my skin. In fact, even my clothes make me feel itchy."

"Hypersensitivity is not uncommon," Baymax informed her. "It will pass as your body returns to a more normal state."

Kally gave a thumbs up. "Great. Just wake me when it's time for lunch or dinner, or whatever it is. Maybe I can sleep off this headache."

Tony gave a sort of nod at that. Sleep was always a good way to let the body recuperate after foreign substances had been ingested. He often had to crash after drinking too much. In fact, if it hadn't been for the rush of adrenaline, the caffeine, and a quick nap, he'd probably be about to that point himself. He might have to ask Hiro to try his hand at driving again, more than sure Fred wasn't up to it. At least they were on country roads for a while and JARVIS could keep them on track as far as directions. Well, he'd have to keep that idea on the back burner for now. But if push came to shove, he'd revisit it.

* * *

Natasha pulled up to the large house they'd been aiming for, the car's headlights shining across the circular gravel driveway. She winced at the sound the tires made on the gravel but supposed that was one of the reasons it had been set up that way. If not for aesthetic reasons, it allowed whoever was inside a slight advance warning that someone had arrived.

The front porch light was already on, revealing a veranda-style area just before the doors. With the sun gone, it made it hard to see much of anything else, except that there was light coming from behind the thin windows to either side of the solid-looking door. If there were any lights on further in the house, Natasha couldn't tell. Either the drapes were really good or there were no lights on in any of the other rooms.

The door opened and a man walked out, closing the door behind him. He stood, not necessarily in a formal manner, but in one that told her he knew his business. The hints of larger than usual musculature underneath his clothes also told her he was in good physical shape. The way he moved suggested he could handle himself, despite the traditional New England suit. She could tell that the cut of his clothes would allow for more ease of movement than was ordinary.

The man continued at a sedate pace to the car, bending to look into the window, tapping politely on the glass. Natasha used the controllers on her side of the car to roll the window down no more than an inch. "Welcome to the Penbrook Manor. How may I help you?"

Honey and GoGo exchanged glances in the back seat, not sure what to say. "Looks like Fred and the others haven't arrived yet," she worried. "Do you think something happened to them?"

Hearing the name Fred used, the man straightened up. "Ah, I take it you are GoGo, Honey Lemon, Wasabi, and Ms. Romanoff?" He stood back to allow them to open the car door, waiting to see what they'd do.

Natasha was the first to exit the vehicle. She walked around the car, eyes on the man; her senses open to everything else around her. "I take it you were expecting us," she stated as she came up beside the butler. "And you are?"

The man reached to open the back door to the car. "My name is William Thompson, but you may call me William." He extended a hand to help the two girls out of the vehicle. He then opened the door for Wasabi, who had only recently woken up from his induced nap. "The young master has not yet arrived. Please do come inside. I will see to your luggage later."

And all the while, he seemed to be sizing Natasha up and down. He had no doubts in his mind that she knew how to defend herself. Like a panther, she had a lithe grace that the untrained eye would call the grace of a dancer, but he knew better.

Following William inside, the three young heroes couldn't help but stare. This manor was nothing like the one back in San Fransokyo. It wasn't overdone, even though it was still grand in size. The furnishings were practical yet tasteful. "If you would please follow me to the dining room," William intoned, "I have prepared a late supper." He glanced back at Natasha and gave her a brief nod.

Natasha broke off from the main group. There was no doubt in her mind that this man knew what she was capable of, just as she had a good idea about him. And the subtle gesture was decidedly not lost on her. He'd just given his permission for her to make sure things were secure to her liking. She wasn't about to waste that opportunity and decided to start with the ground floor. She would rejoin the others when she was done.


	23. Loki

By the time the second car made it to Lake Hiawatha, Hiro was asleep in the front seat, Fred in the back, and Kally wide awake next to Baymax. Tony resisted the urge to yawn. He'd felt the necessity of letting Hiro get in some more driving practice on the way, which probably had pushed back their estimated arrival time but it couldn't be helped. He'd needed the cat nap it had allowed him. And the fact that they'd been able to find a real coffee shop with real coffee only an hour or two before arriving helped. All the same, he was ready for some shut eye.

With Baymax and JARVIS keeping Hiro company, along with the occasional comment from Fred, Hiro had managed to drive for a good solid two hours before they had to stop and refuel. He'd gone just under the speed limit, even with coaxing on JARVIS's part, but at least they made it in one piece. Even if the youth had gotten turned around a little for part of his shift.

Gravel crunched as the car pulled up behind the sedan already in the large driveway. They hadn't been able to see it from the street, which was a little reassuring. The porch light of the manor was still on, despite the late hour. Tony estimated it was probably after ten. The sound, not to mention the change in vibrations, woke both Fred and Hiro. The two couldn't help but yawn and try to stretch. Fred just had a harder time with it than the other did.

"This is your vacation house?" Kally asked in awe as she took in the large, two story building. It seemed like the type that looked smaller on the outside than it did inside. She doubted there was too much wasted space, with maybe the exception of vaulted ceilings. The difference between the floors did seem higher than typical.

The front door opened and a butler stepped out onto the veranda. Before anyone else in the car could react, however, Fred had opened his door and was somewhat painfully climbing out. He offered a smile and a fist bump to the man who approached. "William! My man!" he called out with a smile. "Long time no see!"

"Welcome back, Master Fred," William said in an easy but formal manner. "The rest of your party has already arrived and is waiting for you in the lounge. I set something aside for you and your other guests, should you be hungry."

Tony exited the vehicle next, with Hiro rubbing sleep from his eyes as he followed in a close third. Kally exited next, with Baymax behind her. She felt decidedly better than she had a few hours before. The headache had at least subsided to a dull throb, though her skin still seemed to vibrate unpleasantly if anything unexpected touched her. "Natasha here?" Tony asked the butler, not seeing the Avenger.

"Ms. Romanoff is inside with the other guests," William answered. "She would appreciate it if you would join her inside." Leading the way, he held the front door open for all to enter, closing and locking it behind him as he came in after them.

Fred seemed to know exactly where to go, despite having told the others he hadn't been there in years. "Just through here, guys," he called out behind, wincing a bit as he tweaked his shoulder when he looked back to make sure they were following him.

The lounge was pretty grand in size. More like a sort of entertainment room, it had a large screen TV, different couches for lounging, and a few small tables for those who wanted to play various games. High windows lined one side of the room, though there were heavy drapes covering them, off-white in color.

As soon as the others saw them enter, Honey Lemon and GoGo were on their feet. "We were beginning to wonder if something had happened to you," Honey admitted as she rubbed at one eye. It was clear they were all tired. Even Natasha looked a little run down.

"I was getting ready to send a search party out to find you," Natasha commented as she sauntered over to Tony. "What took you so long?"

Tony glanced over at Hiro, who gave a funny kind of wave, along with a hand-caught-in-the-cookie-jar kind of smile. "We had to stop for a bit when Kally woke up. That and I had to let someone else drive while I caught a few Z's. Unlike you, I actually have to sleep every now and again."

GoGo walked up to Fred and leaned her head against his chest, far enough away from his wound that she didn't jostle it too much. "You should have called," she admonished him gently. She'd been pacing ever since dinner had concluded, sure they'd be no more than an hour behind everyone.

"All that matters is that everyone's here now," Honey spoke up again. "I'm sure we're all eager to get some sleep. It's been a long day." She glanced over at Wasabi, who had actually dozed off on one of the couches. Apparently the sleep aide wasn't quite out of his system yet.

Kally stood by, watching their reactions with some confusion. She had the distinct feeling she was missing out on something. "Um…" she spoke up, not sure she knew what to say. Her stomach growled, though, reminding them the last time they'd stopped for food had been quite a while ago. She colored red in embarrassment.

"Tell you what," Tony spoke up, now that the Black Widow was appeased, "why don't we have my party find some food while the rest of you settle in for the night. We can all catch up in the morning."

GoGo released Fred, straightening up as she did, with her usual expression back in place. "Fine by me," she quipped. "I'm ready for bed." Now was probably not the time to request a private meeting with her team, though she hoped they could all get together, minus their babysitters, sometime within the next twenty-four hours. "I'll go help bring up your stuff," she added as she left the room.

Natasha was about to protest as she followed her out. She retracted any words she was about to say, realizing William had already at least brought their bags inside. No one would have to leave the building for the rest of the night. She just went to make sure all the doors were properly locked before going to find Tony once more.

The others followed Fred to the dining room, which was decidedly not as large as the one back in San Fransokyo, much to their relief. All the same, Kally was impressed with the size, not knowing the difference. And, with the help from the live-in chef (also William's wife), they were soon eating a light late night meal before bed.

* * *

The throne room of Asgard stood mostly empty. Considering the time of day, it wasn't too surprising. Loki couldn't help but wonder, though, why no one had yet realized what he'd done. Odin's ravens, Huginn and Muninn hadn't been seen for a while, though that could just as easily been seen as he'd sent them off to get information. No, his disguise as his adoptive father was complete, with no one the wiser.

Loki looked up as he sensed a disturbance in his realm. Well, not technically his, but close enough that no one had noticed. Someone had used the Bifrost. He stood from the throne, his guise perfect as he wielded his father's staff. Who had dared use the Bifrost without his permission? He could think of only one person, Thor. But hadn't he essentially sent him back to Midgard? What was he doing here? Whatever had brought him didn't take long as the god of mischief felt the Bifrost activate once more and the presence of his adopted brother was gone. This warranted some investigation.

With a sweep of the mighty cloak he currently wore, Loki strode down the length of the throne room, heading towards the Bifrost. He could have just used his magic to whisk his way over there, but that would somehow defeat the purpose of pretending to be dear old dad. He probably should have just waited for word to be brought to him but couldn't wait. He greeted those he came across with either a quick nod or half smile. And for those who knew him best, he even condescended to give a brief word of greeting, but his steps did not falter as he made his way to the Rainbow Bridge and Heimdall.

"My lord," the Guardian of Asgard bowed as soon as he saw who he thought to be Odin coming. He had one hand crossed over his chest, none the wiser for the switch, which was just how Loki liked it.

Loki stood several meters away from the man, looking as impassive as ever. Odin tended to have this poker face that would defy most people's ability to read it. But not Loki's. "I felt the presence of my son," he stated, mentally smirking as he saw the look on Heimdall's face.

Heimdall found he wasn't entirely surprised to see his king, even if it was a bit unorthodox. "My lord, it is true your son, Thor, returned briefly to Asgard. He has found a daughter of a Valkyrie on Midgard and requested I make this known to you. This daughter, one Kally Carmichael, appears to be in danger by forces of her adoptive home."

Loki couldn't help but feel a touch excited at word of a half Valkyrie on Midgard. If he could get his hands on her, mold her, he might even be able to use her to defeat Odin once and for all. He knew that when any Asgardian was sent down to Midgard, they were usually put within close proximity to one of similar blood. He was not entirely surprised to hear such a one had been found, though he doubted Thor had been placed near her by any means other than fate. But he paused that thought at the rest of what the Guardian had to say. "Danger?" he questioned. "By what forces?"

Heimdall flinched under the sharp gaze of his pseudo leader. "I have been searching for the cause," he admitted. "However, they seem to be shrouded in a cloud of darkness and I cannot see them. I fear for her safety, as well as the safety of those around her."

Oh now that just wouldn't do, Loki thought to himself. If he was going to use her to his advantage, he needed to keep her whole and unharmed by outside influences. "And where is she now?" he asked, still using the voice of Odin.

The Guardian moved to peer out into the vastness of space. "She is currently with a small group of friends and Midgardian protectors. I fear some of those friends are also being targeted."

"And my son?" Loki inquired, not sure where that oaf would be at a time like this. Probably lost in an alternate dimension. He never was the cleverest of people.

Heimdall's golden eyes seemed to pierce the heavens. "Thor goes in search of her," he replied.

Good. That meant he still had time. If Thor had lost her, he might have a hard time finding her again. He knew the Valkyrie could be a little on the testy side, though there had been some lovely women he'd associated with as a child. He wondered who had been mother to this half-breed. Well, it didn't really matter so long as he could get what he wanted from her.

"Keep me informed," Loki ordered as he turned, his cloak sweeping away from him with the movement as he strode down the bridge leading back to Asgard. He had work to do.


	24. What's Really Going On?

Hiro felt like he couldn't breathe. His chest was tight, like someone had him in a vice. He couldn't move, his body unable to obey his thoughts. Heart pounding, he tried to open his eyes but couldn't.

He was in a dark void, except there was solid ground under his feet. And he was running, despite the lack of oxygen in his lungs. He had no idea how he was moving, especially since he could feel his body pressing against the bedding beneath him. And his muscles ached with the strain, his mind telling him he'd been going on this same line for an immeasurably long time.

What was he running from again? Oh yeah. It was a snake, lightning fast. And it was gaining on him. Except it wasn't a snake. In fact, he wasn't sure what exactly what it was, because it had a lot of heads. He couldn't see past the constant movement of them and their long sinuous necks. What the heck was that thing?!

Hiro continued to run, knowing his strength was running out. His heart felt like it wanted to force its way out of his rib cage, it was beating so hard. And no matter how fast he ran, he could never get ahead of the creature after him.

Something under his feet, a stone perhaps, caused him to stumble and he almost went down. He managed to evade that by throwing his hands out to catch himself. But that small mistake allowed the creature to catch up with him. He could feel it, hear it, breathing down his neck.

Fear froze him and he went down for real, skinning knees and hands on whatever the ground was made of. He turned to face his foe, eyes wide as the multiple heads reared back, ready to strike.

"Hiro."

Someone was shaking him by the shoulders, calling his name over and over. "Hey, wake up." The voice was soft but urgent. "Hiro!"

With a start, Hiro sat up, his chest heaving. He couldn't help but cough as saliva hit the back of his throat. Even with his eyes open, it took him a few minutes to realize he wasn't in some dark unknown. As his eyes adjusted, he could see the outline of the bed he was lying on, along with other furniture around the room. Soft light came from the hallway, the door partially open. It took him another couple of minutes to get his breathing back under control enough that he wasn't choking on his own spit.

"Baymax?" he called out, suddenly feeling far more vulnerable than usual. He couldn't immediately see the white vinyl in the dark.

The sound of the healthcare bot waddling forward reassured him. "I am here," the huggable marshmallow stated in a low tone. "You appeared to be having a bad dream. I could not wake you."

It took Hiro another minute to realize the person who'd called him from sleep wasn't his usual companion. Instead, Kally had entered the room to try and wake him. "Baymax asked me to help," she confessed at his questioning look.

Footsteps sounded in the hall. "What's going on in here?" Natasha asked as she stood in the doorway.

Hiro rubbed the cold sweat from his forehead. "N-nothing," he said with a somewhat hesitant voice. His heart still pounded from the dream. And if he closed his eyes, he could still see the nightmare creature out of the corner of his eye. "Just a bad dream." He looked over to the other bed in the room where Wasabi was still out for the count. At least he hadn't woken him with his bad dreams.

Natasha pursed her lips for a moment, one hand on her hip. "You should try to go back to sleep," she finally said before leaving the room.

The robotic nurse came into view. He'd stepped off to the far corner of the room, keeping an eye on things while Kally tried to wake his friend. "Your neurotransmitter levels are low," he stated as he looked at the teenage boy.

Hiro still felt the strain of muscles, even though logic told him he'd essentially been paralyzed during the entire dream sequence, at least in reality. Maybe he'd tightened his muscles subconsciously. Or maybe it was the strain from their car chase earlier. "Yeah," he sighed. "Definitely not one of my nicer dreams."

Kally sat on the edge of his bed, looking at him with intense eyes. She didn't look the least bit tired. And, after having spent most of the day asleep, she was a long way from dozing off. "You can talk to me about it," she offered. "My dad used to tell me my dreams were important, that they meant something."

The boy genius exhaled in one long breath. "Yeah, tell me about it. I've had so many dreams that meant something, I could probably write a book about it. Not that it would help anyone else, mind you." He groaned as he moved to swing his legs over the side of the bed. "I feel like someone beat me up," he admitted. "How you feeling?" he looked over at Kally.

"A lot better than I was," she responded, "now that the headache's gone. I almost feel normal now. Except I know I missed something during all the chaos. I didn't mention it before, but suddenly heading off to a vacation home in the middle of an expo is really kind of weird, you know. What's really going on?" She looked at him expectantly.

That was a conversation Hiro wasn't sure he was ready to have. He'd kind of figured either Tony or Natasha would get around to telling her, though he couldn't blame her for asking. He rubbed at his eyes, still feeling the pull of exhaustion behind them. Well, he could put her off, telling her he needed more sleep. It was the truth, but it was also just an excuse at the same time. She deserved to know. And now that they were more or less secure, he supposed now was as good a time as any.

"You sure you really want to know?" he asked, just to make sure. It was going to be a lot to take in and he wasn't sure how she'd take it all. Nor was he sure how the others would react when they realized he'd gone ahead and told her without them. Oh well. He'd deal with that later.

Kally nodded. "I need to know," she said. "I keep seeing images in the back of my head that seem like dreams, but more than just dreams. I can't ignore the nagging feeling they actually happened."

Hiro nodded. He knew that feeling all too well. "Okay," he said. "But if it gets too stressful, just let me know." He gave Baymax a knowing look, silently asking him to keep an eye on the both of them while he told his tale. Baymax shuffled closer as Hiro began with the events from the night before.

* * *

Thor felt somewhat uncomfortable in a pair of loose fitting jeans and a t-shirt. It was not his attire of choice, but he did want to blend in. With his hair pulled back, he didn't quite look as god-like, which was what he'd hoped for. There was no real way to disguise Mjolnir, unfortunately, short of putting it in a bag, which somehow seemed rude, so he carried the hammer on a strap hanging from his belt, having it currently situated in his lap. Either people would notice or they wouldn't. He also had a knapsack with his armor snuggly stuffed inside.

"Are you certain this road will take us to where Stark and the others are?" Thor called out as wind whipped past him through the open window. Strictly speaking, he didn't have to have the window open, but there was something about the smell of nature that was just compelling, unlike the smell of the city.

Coulson gave a sidelong glance towards the thunder god as he drove. Even though they'd started out early, there were a few difficulties getting started. He'd had to go through Miss Carmichael's things to find any clothes that weren't mutilated by the intruder to her dorm room. That and unless Thor held his hammer in hand, it seemed to make the car unable to move. "Would you please close that window?" he asked as he returned his attention to the front view, seeing it all tinted through dark sunglasses.

"I could have flown there by now," Thor retorted, "if you had only told me where to go." But he obediently closed the window. The car became so much stuffier with the only air coming from the vents.

But Coulson shook his head. "We have a leak somewhere. I couldn't risk it." He also wanted to see how everyone was holding up, and try to get down to the bottom of the matter of why someone was after these students. Maybe Tony had some ideas. The man knew them better than he did.

Phil had done a background check on all involved. Nothing major had come up. The Hamada kid was practically an orphan, like Miss Carmichael. That gave them something in common, though he doubted that was the real reason behind the attack. They both had legal guardians who came clean on their checks as well. As for the others, they were pretty run of the mill. Ethel Kim, the one they called GoGo, had a few minor indiscretions on her record. Well, technically Hiro had one on his juvie files. Bot fighting wasn't strictly legal, though he couldn't entirely blame the boy for getting involved in it with his reputed genius. In fact, if he thought about it, they were all considered genius or close in all their various areas. Innovative to say the least. Maybe someone wanted them for that.

"How much longer until we reach our destination?" Thor asked, more than ready to be done with this road trip. They'd been on the road for hours untold. The sooner they got to Kally Carmichael the better. He had to protect her, if for no other reason than he knew her mother.

Coulson frowned. Technically speaking, they could have been there already, but he'd chosen to take a more roundabout way to get there, just to be safe. One could never been too careful, especially with the potential of someone vying to find out where they were going. He'd thought he'd spotted a few tailers but wasn't sure. "We'll get there when we get there," he finally answered.

Coming from down and around, he fancied they might be following a similar route to the one Tony had taken. Romanoff had come from the north after some creative driving. And from what he understood, she'd beaten him there. Of course it didn't help that they weren't using the main roads.

Phil looked back in the rear view mirror. Yes, someone was definitely tailing them. Well, there were means and ways of getting rid of that threat. Worse to worse, he could ask Thor to use that hammer of his on the other car. He just hoped they'd be able to figure out who they were before losing another lead. The two in the hospital, despite their having access to facial recognition software and all that, remained off any radar they had available. If they were some kind of operatives, they were in deep cover. For all intents and purposes, their records were clean, which meant whoever was behind this was good.

"We're going to make another detour," Coulson announced as he turned down a dirt road. Thor held on as the tires squealed off the blacktop and onto the bumpier surface. He didn't believe this would end well.


	25. Dangerous Territory

Morning came like a slowly leaking faucet, a trickle of light at a time. The change was so gradual that Wasabi almost didn't realize it was morning until he saw the clock on the far dresser stating the time. When he looked over to Hiro's borrowed bed, however, he was surprised to see not one occupant, but two. Sort of.

Hiro and Kally had both fallen asleep on top of the disheveled covers. Hiro lay with one leg draped over the side of the bed, his arms falling over the other side. Meanwhile both of Kally's legs hung over the other, near his arms, their heads meeting near the middle of the double mattress. Wasabi couldn't help but stare at them, wondering just when the two had ended up in that way and why. But from both of their current positions, he doubted they'd be waking up any time soon.

Feeling more refreshed than he had in a long time, the physics student got out of bed and headed in search of the nearest bathroom. It took him a moment to remember this wasn't Fred's mansion back in San Fransokyo so he had to look around a bit. They hadn't exactly gotten in much of a tour the night before. It had seemed kind of rude without Fred there. He also had no idea what time the other group had gotten in, though he was more curious as to why Kally was asleep in the room he'd been given to share with Hiro, instead of in a room with one of the girls.

The daily necessities taken care of, including a nice hot shower that helped sooth aching muscles, Wasabi headed down to the ground level. The place seemed just as grand as it had the night before, just in an understated way. (Fred's place in San Fransokyo was decidedly the more overdone of the two.) He found Tony lounging in the room they'd used to wait for Fred and the others the night before. "Hey," he greeted with a sort of nod of his head.

Tony looked up from the newspaper he was reading. It was just the local rag, nothing too exciting. He had JARVIS running scans of Stark Tower while he read -pretended to read- the articles in front of him. "Morning," he greeted from under dark sunglasses. He had one leg crossed over the other, his odd briefcase containing the Iron Man suit sitting next to the couch he occupied. "Sleep well?" He quickly turned his gaze back down to the paper in front of him.

"Something like that," Wasabi replied. He had the partial suspicion they'd drugged him again, though he had no way of proving it. Well, he'd eventually catch them at it and then they'd get it. Okay, maybe they wouldn't, but he'd at least drive home the principle of the matter. They couldn't keep doing that to him. It wasn't nice. After all, society had rules for a reason.

Well, this was awkward, the blade wielding hero thought as he sat down next to Stark, done with his little mental tirade. Maybe it wasn't really that awkward. They could sit in companionable silence. Except there was still the question of what was really going on and why. He'd heard the hurried explanations. But if he was going to make any kind of plans, he needed to know more. They had to have something in place, which wasn't going to happen if they were all in the dark. But then again, would it be better for him to wait for the others? He wasn't sure.

"If you've got something to say, you should just spit it out," Tony stated as he folded the paper. He turned to look at the burly man sitting next to him. "I won't bite. Promise."

Like a deer caught in headlights, Wasabi froze. Then he forced himself to relax. "I know I should probably wait for the others, but I have to know. What exactly is going on? And why are people targeting us?"

Tony sighed as he moved so he could face the student more comfortably. He removed his sunglasses so he could look the young man in the eye. "I honestly don't know," he admitted. "But we're working on it. Agent Coulson should be joining us soon. Maybe he has a better idea. I've had JARVIS running scans of my place non-stop since we had to vacate. Other than a few minor bombs, he hasn't found anything."

"What?! Bombs!?" Wasabi couldn't help but push himself back against the cushions. Bombs were something he definitely didn't want to deal with. The last time they'd had to deal with one, Hiro had technically gotten himself killed, more than once. And even though it had ended up all right in the end, he wasn't ready to have a repeat performance.

The super hero gave him a grim look. "Yes, bombs," he confirmed. "Nothing major, just enough to cause a distraction. I think they were planning on using them to divert our attention so they could get out with what they wanted. In the end, they almost did anyway. That and they took Hiro's microbots, though I'm not sure what purpose that serves just yet." He was stilling banking on the possibility they could track them using Hiro's neurotransmitter.

Wasabi pressed his hands against his face as he tried to take this all in. Why was Stark being so calm about this? Shouldn't he be flying apart with concern and fear? He knew he would. Well, technically he was, but that was beside the point. "You think they were after Hiro too?"

The wry look Stark gave him was confirmation enough, but he decided to answer verbally as well. "It's entirely possible. Honestly, we're really not sure _what_ they wanted, or who they are. But the idea they were after Hiro, as well as Kally Carmichael, is pretty high up there. For that matter, they could be after all of you. I mean, let's be realistic here. Nothing happened until after you guys showed up."

The physicist made his body relax. Tensing up his muscles only made them hurt more than they already did from events the day before. "Why is it always Hiro?" he asked himself, totally missing the last bit Tony said.

"Excuse me?" Tony inquired. "You mean this isn't the first time something like this has happened?" He couldn't help but move a bit closer to the uncomfortable student. This was indeed news to him, and if it could help them figure things out, then he needed to know exactly what all had happened before he'd met them.

Wasabi froze, quite literally froze. He'd messed up big time and he knew it. And they'd all tried so hard to keep things under wraps!

"Yeah," GoGo answered for him as she sauntered into the room, popping a gum bubble as she walked. "Hiro's had a lot of crazy stuff happen to him, but I don't think it's related." She squeezed into the spot between Stark and Wasabi, kicking back with one leg crossed over the other. Her black biker shorts contrasted with the white t-shirt she wore, minus the typical black leather jacket. She'd save that for later. "It's been a while. And the last time was more of a fluke than anything, just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Right, Wasabi?" She gave him a sideways look that told he'd better agree with her or he'd be in even more trouble.

"What she said," Wasabi agreed quickly, taking the lifeline she offered. He knew he was still on the hook, though, in a manner of speaking. They'd probably have words later, when the older adults weren't around to hear them.

GoGo's disinterested attitude filled the void of silence. "So," she drawled, "what did I miss? Anything good? And where are the others? I know Honey was still getting ready for the day, but what about Fred, Hiro, and Kally?"

Tony gave a funny little snort, covering it up as if it were a sneeze. "Excuse me," he said under his breath. "When I left Fred upstairs, he was still out for the count. Not sure what Kally's doing. She's roomed up with Natasha."

Wasabi let out a similarly funny kind of grimace. "Well, not exactly," he corrected. "I left her only a couple of minutes ago, asleep on Hiro's bed. And Hiro was right there, also asleep."

GoGo's eyebrows raised a few notches. Well, that was an interesting development. What were those two up to? "I hope they weren't doing anything—"

"No!" Wasabi protested before she could finish her sentence. "No. They probably had a hard time sleeping last night and decided to hang out. Yeah. That's probably what happened." He didn't look entirely convinced of that though.

Tony got up and was about to go up and see for himself when Baymax waddled down the stairs. "What Wasabi said is correct," he said as he paused on one step. "Both Hiro and Kally stayed up until four thirty seven this morning, talking. They did not engage in any activities that might be considered inappropriate for their age."

Stark breathed out a sigh of relief. He wasn't sure what he'd have said to the two, or their legal guardians if they'd participated in some hanky panky. Of course, he wasn't really any stranger to it, but at such a young age? Yeah, that probably would not have ended well. "So, why was Hiro up so late? I can understand Kally. She slept most of the day away yesterday, but Hiro was asleep when I last checked in on them before going to bed."

Baymax finished coming down the stairs, blinking once as he achieved the landing. He stopped right in front of Tony. "Hiro experienced a nightmare," he stated. "I summoned Kally to help wake him as I was unable to do so alone."

"Huh," Tony said as he followed the walking marshmallow back into the lounge. "When did that start happening?" he wondered out loud. He knew from experience that consistent nightmares usually occurred because of some kind of trauma. If Hiro was having them on a regular basis, something definitely had to have happened in his life. Then, of course, it might just be from seeing his brother die. He'd gotten the details from Fred earlier, right after he'd requested a signed helmet to give to his friend. While it was possible, he wasn't sure that would be enough to keep things going this long though. Unless he hadn't gotten help for it. But he doubted Fred would allow that to happen.

Baymax stopped next to the couch where GoGo and Wasabi still sat. "Hiro has experienced recurring nightmares off and on for the past year and a half," he responded. "While some of those dreams may have been triggered by circumstances outside his control, it is my belief they are a symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

GoGo turned her full expression on Baymax, her eyebrows raised, her lips pursed together. This was beginning to head into dangerous territory. If she didn't do something, Baymax just might give their secret away, even if he had been instructed never to do that. The hints were more than enough to send the right person in the direction most likely to reveal their alternate identities. "It's been a long road," she spoke up. "But we're helping him work through it. They just sneak in there every now and again, right?"

The robot seemed to get the message. "Of course," he agreed. "As time goes on, Hiro appears more able to deal with the loss of his brother. I believe that to be the instigating reason behind his PTSD."

So much for getting more information, Tony thought as he gave GoGo a calculated glance. This chick was one smart cookie. The idea that there was a lot more going on than what any of them were willing to admit to intrigued him. He felt fairly confident in saying there was a whole lot more to it, though he couldn't say what. He supposed he could ask JARVIS to dig into it, but initial background checks hadn't shown much, outside of what he already knew.

Honey came down and joined them before anyone could say anything else. She greeted everyone in turn, only mildly surprised the others weren't up yet. She suspected Natasha had stayed up late to keep an eye on things and was more intrigued by the idea of visitors. "Do you think they'll have any news?" she wondered.

"I'm hoping," Tony said grimly. Though he'd played down the bombs they'd found earlier, they were no laughing matter. And some of the agents at SHIELD had their suspicions, though none were confirmed yet. "But we can worry about that when they get here. I, for one, wouldn't mind some breakfast."

GoGo stood, looking towards the staircase. "Shouldn't someone go wake the others?" she inquired in a critical tone. It wasn't that she thought waking Hiro was a good idea, but someone had to say it.

Wasabi's eyes went wide at that suggestion. "Oh no," he protested. "Not me. You know what happens when Hiro doesn't get enough sleep. Not happening. If you want him up, you wake him."

A pink bubble popped as GoGo folded her arms and stared at Wasabi. "It was just a suggestion," she retorted.

"Maybe it would be better to just let them be," Tony inserted. "From what I understand, your friend doesn't do well when he's sleep deprived. I'd rather not deal with that. It's not like we're going anywhere so we might as well sit tight and relax." He knew from experience that those suffering from PTSD tended to get testy when they didn't get decent rest.

The others found they agreed and were soon headed to the dining room in hopes of finding breakfast.


	26. Chapter 26

Hiro woke with a groan. His head hurt in that sleep-deprived kind of way, and his mouth was dry, like he'd talked way too much. Visions of something danced just out of the corner of his eye, though he couldn't understand what. And when he moved, his arm bumped into something. His whole body hurt like he'd strained his muscles. Slowly, he sat up and realized what he'd bumped into, Kally's leg.

Light somehow filtered in through the thick curtains, telling him it was at least day time. A quick glance over at the other bed told him Wasabi was up. The bed was made. Chances were good he'd been up for a while. He looked around for a clock, not immediately seeing one. He had to turn the other way to find one on a bedside table. It read 10:30.

He yawned, stretched, and carefully tried to roll away from Kally so he wouldn't wake her. She seemed to be pretty out of it, though, and he was safely able to get off the bed without disturbing her. The news of what happened had hit her hard. He'd even brought out the video Tony had given him as proof. She still hadn't been able to believe it, though he thought the most difficult part for her was the fact that someone had tried to kidnap her. She just couldn't seem to understand why, though he'd promised her they'd figure it out one way or another.

"Don't go," Kally said in a groggy voice, reaching out one hand towards him. Her eyes were still closed, making Hiro wonder how she'd known which direction he'd gone.

The teen moved back to the bed, stifling a yawn. He didn't feel nearly ready to be awake yet, but his body had other ideas. "It's okay," he assured her. "I just need to use the bathroom real quick and I'll be right back. Promise."

Kally nodded her head as she drew her hand back towards her chest. She still hadn't opened her eyes as her legs curled up into a loose fetal position on the bed. "Don't take too long."

Heart thudding a bit from the encounter, Hiro made his way to the nearest bathroom and relieved himself. He risked a quick glance in the mirror as he washed his hands, realizing his hair was more of a mess than usual, and he didn't have a comb to fix it. He ran wet fingers through the tangled strands, hoping that would do for now. He probably should shower but didn't have his stuff with him. With a sigh, he headed back to the bedroom, even though he could hear voices coming from downstairs. He briefly wondered what the others were doing before deciding to ignore it.

Kally was in the same position she'd been in when he'd left only a few minutes ago. She turned her head towards him when he entered the room. He didn't' close the door behind him. They didn't need any temptations to do something stupid. Her eyes were still closed, even though she reached out one hand for him.

He crossed back over to the bed and sat down next to her head. "So now what?" he asked softly, not sure if she was really awake or just reacting in her sleep. He had no idea what to do in this situation. If he was Tadashi, and he pretended Kally was him, he'd probably gather her up in his arms and cuddle with her until she felt better. But he wasn't his brother, and Kally was definitely not a blood relation, though part of him didn't want to think about that or the implications it might pose should he act on the thought.

"I had such strange dreams," Kally confessed as she took his hand in hers, giving him reason to turn more towards her. She shuddered a bit as she moved to curl around his body. "Such strange dreams."

Having only recently had a few of his own, Hiro couldn't help but feel sympathetic. "Want to talk about them?" he offered, still sitting on the bed, not moving to take advantage of her proximity.

Kally shook her head. "No. I just want you to sit here with me for a bit until I can get the images out of my head. I kinda think if I talk about them I'll never forget them. Know what I mean?"

Hiro did. He didn't like talking about his bad dreams. It somehow made them more real. Unless it was with Baymax. Baymax seemed to know exactly what to say to make the horror go away, at least for a little while. He could still see the multi-headed creature of his nightmares staring out of the corner of his eye. But Baymax... Where was Baymax, anyway? Shouldn't he be there? Waiting for him to wake up? But then Hiro remembered Fred's injuries. Maybe the healthcare bot was looking after him.

His stomach growled, reminding him it had been a while since he'd last eaten. Any food would technically be considered brunch at this point, he supposed. At least that's what his aunt would have called it.

Kally sat up at the sound his stomach made. "Maybe we should go down and find something to eat," she mused, picking at the fabric of her borrowed pajamas. She didn't have any of her clothes with her, outside of the outfit she'd come in. Someone must have changed her back into it before they'd left Stark Tower because she didn't remembering getting dressed after the allergy attack she'd experienced.

"Yeah," Hiro said sheepishly. "Guess that means we should both get dressed." He looked around the room and spotted his suitcase just under the corner of the bed. The duffel with his and Baymax's suits sat nestled against the nightstand. He doubted anyone had disturbed it since it had been dragged up the night before.

With a sigh, Kally stood from the bed and headed back to the room she was supposed to share with Natasha. It made sense, in a way, she supposed, to share a room with the woman. But part of her preferred the idea of sharing one with Honey Lemon or GoGo. She knew them better. But if someone was after her... she shuddered, hurrying to get dressed. She met Hiro back in the hall, ready to head downstairs.

* * *

By the time Agent Coulson finally pulled up in front of the safe house, Thor felt more than a little car sick. The man had taken them on quite the ride as he did his best to get rid of their tail. He'd managed to get free from their tracker, but the result was a somewhat green-looking thunder god who was more than happy to exit the vehicle and vomit in the grass.

When he was finished, Thor wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, rubbing any offensive material from that onto the grass as well. "Please remind me that should I ever again require transportation in such a manner to not ask for your assistance." At least his armor hadn't gotten soiled, so there was that. And the place they'd ended up was actually quite nice, a bit back from the main road, screened in by tall trees. Now that his head wasn't spinning quite as much, he could appreciate the view.

Coulson merely locked the car behind him as he strode towards the front entrance of the small mansion. "I'll keep that in mind," he said without looking towards his companion. He knocked on the door, sunglasses firmly in place as he waited for someone to answer. It shouldn't take long, especially since he'd used the pre-arranged code of four knocks, a pause, three knocks, and a pause, followed by five knocks.

William answered the door with a stern expression on his face. "Agent Coulson?" He inquired briskly as the agent took off his sunglasses. He glanced to the side, noting the presence of Thor. "And... guest?"

Phil turned his head to look back at Thor. "Thor, Son of Odin," he answered the man. "I believe Ms. Romanoff and Mr. Stark are expecting us."

"Indeed," William said as he ushered the two into the lounge. "I will inform them of your arrival." He turned on his heels and left the room.

Thor couldn't help but look around with curiosity. "This is a well appointment room," he commented, "if not a bit small in comparison to the halls of my father." But, for a safe house, and one being sponsored by SHIELD, he couldn't help but approve. "I like it."

"We're not here to play," Coulson reminded him as he stood to one side, despite the fact that his companion went and lounged on one of the couches. The thunder god rearranged his hands behind his back as Tony entered the room. "Mr. Stark," Coulson greeted.

Tony gave him a sidelong glance as he walked past him to sit on a couch opposite of Thor. "Agent," he greeted. "Thor. Took you guys long enough. Get stuck in traffic?"

Thor turned a little green at the reminder of their venture. "No," he answered, controlling his body's urge to hurl one more time. "But we did take a more roundabout route than was perhaps necessary." He gave Coulson a disapproving look.

Phil moved to stand between the two couches, hands still behind his back as he stopped. "I only did what was necessary to lose the tail we'd somehow attracted."

Tony couldn't help but look up sharply at that. "A tail? My but these people are persistent. I take it you lost them."

"Of course," Coulson replied. "That's what took us so long. I had to be sure they hadn't reacquired access."

The billionaire looked thoughtful as he leaned back on his seat. "You know," he raised one hand as if to inspect his nails, "I didn't have the chance to say goodbye before you left the other night." He stared pointedly at Thor.

Looking slightly uncomfortable, Thor fidgeted in his seat. "Yes, I apologize for my untimely departure. It was of the utmost importance I confirm a matter that came to my attention." He looked towards Coulson as if for help but readjusted his position on the couch when the man didn't look like he'd offer any.

"You just took off out of nowhere," Tony pointed out. "You didn't even stay to see if we needed your help. And believe me when I say, it would have be nice to have your help when everyone was getting shot at." His voice rose as he spoke, along with the rest of him, until he started pacing the room. "Where on earth did you have to go that was so important you couldn't stick around and at least make sure we were okay?"

Thor cleared his throat, but refused to rise from the couch. "I needed confirmation of something I suspected about one of your guests," he replied, his expression grim. "My primary concern was in that I recognized the fighting style one of your guests used so I traveled back to Asgard to ask one of my associates about her."

Coulson took an involuntary step forward. "And why couldn't you have told me this when you asked to know where we'd taken them?" He looked displeased with the turn of events.

"Because I had hoped we would arrive sooner than we did," Thor retorted with authority. "I had hoped to confirm my suspicions and so they were confirmed. Miss Carmichael is the offspring of a close childhood friend of mine who left our home some time ago for this place. I had not seen or heard anything from her until I saw the face of her child as she fought with the same determination and skill as her mother."

Tony couldn't help but move toward Thor, waving his hands. "Wait, are you trying to tell me Kally Carmichael's mother came from Asgard? The same place where you and Loki came from? How is that even possible?"

Thor let out a sigh as he rose to his feet. "From time to time, one of Asgardian birth has visited your world and fallen in love with a Midgardian. Some of those individuals did eventually returned home, though not all."

A noise came from the hall, just outside of the lounge as Kally and Hiro stopped right in the middle of the doorway. All eyes turned their way as the two teens stared in shocked silence. "Miss Carmichael," Coulson called out as he reached a hand towards them as if to calm them both. It was hard to miss the wide eyes and open mouths on both their faces.

But Kally wasn't having any of it as her eyes watered at this unexpected turn of events. They'd come down the stairs to the sound of voices. They hadn't meant to eavesdrop. They really hadn't, but she couldn't help but pause when she'd heard her name and this strange man talking about her mom as if he'd know her. She'd felt like a heavy stone had dropped into her stomach as she staggered forward, just in time to call attention to both her and her companion.

"Oh crap," Tony muttered under his breath as he recognized the look in her eyes. "This is not good." He moved to walk around the couch but she'd already darted towards the front door, throwing it open. "We need to stop her before she gets into trouble," he called out to his fellow associates.

Seeing his friend bolting out the door, Hiro couldn't help but follow. "Kally! Wait!" He ran after her, ignoring the butler, the men calling after them both to stop, along with anyone else who might have joined in. He only had eyes for Kally as she dashed towards the nearest opening she could find, between the trees. At least it wasn't straight for the main road, he thought as he huffed after her.

The two teens broke through the tree line only a dozen meters apart from each other. The undergrowth slowed Kally down a bit, making it possible for Hiro to catch up. "Kally! Hold up!" he tried one more time as he managed to grab her by the arm. "What's going on?"

Kally felt the energy in her drain as Hiro pulled her up short. She bent over to try and catch her breath. She hadn't meant to run off, but her body had moved before her mind could catch up with it. "Why didn't he ever tell me?" she asked him as Hiro bent to look her in the eye. She noted he was breathing heavily, though not as heavily as she was.

"Who? Why didn't who tell you what?" Hiro asked, confused. "Please tell me what's going on." He loosened his grip on her arm so she could slip her hand from his if she so chose.

She shook her head, more out of denial than anything else. "If what that man said is true, my mom wasn't who my dad said she was," she replied, her body shaking with emotion as tears misted her eyes. "He told me she was a dancer! But that guy! That guy talked as if he _knew_ her! Grew up with her! He said she wasn't _human_!"

Hiro couldn't help but step back in shock, now that he knew what was going on. He'd be even more surprised if he'd been her. "Okay," he tried to reason, "so there's a lot more to you than you thought there was. We can go back in and figure this all out. If that guy really did know your mom, he can straighten it out for you."

Tears streamed down her cheeks as Kally shook her head vigorously. "I can't! Don't you get it?! I can't! Everything I grew up believing is a lie! My _life_ is a _lie_!" She sank to her knees, dry leaves crackling as her weight crushed them.

Not sure what to do, Hiro knelt on one knee and placed a comforting hand on her back. "Hey, I don't know if that's really all true or not, but we can't stay out here," he reasoned. "It's not safe. If those guys who were after us could find one safe house, who's to say they won't find this one too? We have to at least go back inside."

Leaves rustled and both looked up, muscles tensing, and then relaxing as they recognized the woman walking towards them. "Agent Romanoff," Hiro stated as the woman wearing black moved towards them. "We were just going back inside, right, Kally?"

"I've got orders to take you somewhere else," the red head said. "The agent who just came informed me this area has been compromised. I need you to come with me. Now." She moved further away from the house, back away from the road towards what would likely be the neighbor's house.

Hiro helped Kally to her feet and took two steps after the agent before he stopped, the hair on the back of his neck prickling. "Wait a minute. What about the others? Where are our friends?"

Romanoff glanced back with impatience. "We don't have time for this. Tony's taken them in the other car. We're to meet them at another location. Now let's go."

But Hiro didn't budge, Kally taking a cue from him as her senses tingled. Something wasn't right about this, but neither could put a finger on it. "No," Hiro declared, putting his foot down. "We're not going until we see Tony and that other agent."

The red head scowled at the both of them. "You sure you don't want to make things easier on the both of us?" she asked, her body taut. The look she got from the both of them gave her their answer. "Fine. Fasoli!" she called out.

Two sharp hisses of air, almost like a pellet gun, except quieter, sounded and Hiro felt something sharp stick him in the back of the neck. He reached up to swat away whatever bug had stung him, noting Kally doing the same. Then his limbs seemed to start melting as his vision blurred. "What the...?" he asked before falling to the ground. Kally was not far behind him.

"Quick!" the woman in black ordered as two men moved out from behind some far trees. They also wore black, with dart guns in hand, which they hastily holstered. "Hurry!" the woman hissed at them as she ripped away some kind of film from her face, changing her appearance completely. "They'll be out here looking for them any minute!"

The two men rushed to the fallen teens and slung them over strong shoulders as the woman led the way further into the brush. A couple dozen more meters along, they came across the road where a dark car sat waiting. The woman opened the rear door then went around to the driver's side, starting the car while the two men dumped Kally and Hiro into the back seat. One of them shoved them over so he could sit next to them while the other joined the woman in the front. With a squeal of tires, the car shot forward, turning out of sight.


	27. Taken

After a moment of surprise, Coulson, Thor, and Tony ran after the two teens, but by the time they reached the door, the two were out of sight. "We need to begin a systematic search for them," Phil stated. "Stark, take the left. Thor, you have the right. I'll head down the middle. Yell if you see anything."

The three men dispersed to their designated areas, looking for any signs of the two teenagers. When Coulson didn't immediately see anything helpful, he went to join Thor, who was closer to him. "Find anything?" he asked the thunder god.

Thor shook his head. "I should go back for Mjolnir and search from the skies," he stated. "We can cover more ground that way."

But before Coulson could agree or disagree to this plan, they both heard a squeal of tires coming from Tony's direction. "That doesn't sound good," Coulson stated as he took off running.

All three men converged on the break in the trees as the car in question turned sharply around the nearest corner. "Get to the cars!" Coulson shouted. "I have a feeling those two might be in that vehicle."

Disregarding Coulson's order, Thor headed back to the manor for his hammer. It would allow him passage more quickly than any of these man-made vehicles. He ran into Natasha on the way, who pointedly asked what was going on. When he told her, she dashed for the other car, pulling out her earpiece as she connected to Tony's link. "Someone had better have a plan," she stated as she started her car and pealed out after the other two.

Tony was the first in line as he turned the corner they'd seen the dark sedan take. "Oh, hey Natasha," he greeted as her voice came over his phone. "We're kind of busy at the moment trying to chase down someone who probably kidnapped two of our guests."

Natasha ground her teeth. "I know that," she growled. "So just shut up and help me find them!"

* * *

Thor was about to grab his hammer from inside when Wasabi stepped into the lounge, looking all wide eyed. "Um, what's going on? Where's everyone gone? Are we in danger?"

Seeing the panicked state of this young man, Thor found he couldn't bring himself to leave them, especially not after a few other Midgardians entered the room, looking just as confused and concerned as he did. If Tony, Natasha, and Coulson had gone off looking for Kally Carmichael, who was going to stay and make sure someone didn't do the same with the others?

He let out a heavy sigh as he set Mjolnir down. "Someone has taken two of your friends captive," he confessed to the gathered students, one a girl with long blond hair, the other a male with sloppy clothes. A second female came up behind the burly looking man who had similar characteristics as Heimdall. This other female had short black hair with a purple stripe down the middle.

"What's going on?" GoGo demanded as she noticed the absence of their babysitters. "Where did everyone go? Where are Kally and Hiro?"

Honey stared forward with wide eyes. "This man just said someone took them," she confessed as GoGo waited impatiently for an answer.

Fred's mouth turned down to a partially open frown as he took in the situation. "Not good," he said as he winced. They'd found him a real sling for his arm but it still hurt when he moved too quickly. "Not good at all." He looked around for the healthcare bot. "Where's Baymax?"

White vinyl filled the opposite doorway as the robot entered the room. "I am no longer detecting the presence of Hiro, Kally, or the other adults," he stated as he stopped short to scan those in the room. "You all are exhibiting symptoms of extreme distress. What has happened in my absence?"

The heroes exchanged glances with each other before Honey finally answered. "It's Hiro and Kally. They're gone, Baymax. Someone took them." The robot blinked his hyper-spectral eyes as Thor stared moodily at the group now thrust into his charge.

* * *

The three SHIELD agents split up as the road split in three new directions. Keeping constant contact, they relayed back any new information between them, though most of it was just general updates. The roads were clear.

About half a dozen miles down the left fork, Tony slowed at the sight of a dark sedan on the side of the road. "Hey, guys, I've got something," he called over the radio. He parked his car a good ways away from the vehicle in question, slowly moving forward. From his current position, however, he saw that the car was empty. He continued forward anyway.

Upon reaching the vehicle, he tried the doors. They were all unlocked. And, when he glanced down in the rear passenger area, he saw a cell phone on the floor. Reaching in, he retrieved it, activating the home screen. He then bypassed any passwords on the device with JARVIS's help. Judging from the contacts, he had a pretty good idea who it belonged to. "Um, guys, I think they switched cars on us," he reported.

There was a low exclamation of frustration from Romanoff's end as Coulson sighed. "Maintain your position. We'll be right there. I take it they left the first vehicle behind? Maybe we can get some tire prints from the second so we know what to look for."

"Yeah," Tony agreed as he closed the door and began looking around. After several minutes, however, it became apparent they weren't going to get any good leads. Whatever car they had waiting hadn't gone on to the shoulder of the road, probably realizing they'd leave tracks behind. Iron Man kicked at the ground in disgust.

By the time the other two had joined them, he'd walked a good mile in either direction, just to be safe. The only tire tracks he'd found belonged to heavy duty tractors, none of which could have held more than two people. He shook his head at the two agents, expression grim. "Looks like they got away. Whoever they are, they're pretty smart. Let's just hope they didn't double back behind us."

"Oh crap." Suddenly realizing they'd left the others alone at the house, Tony pulled out his phone and anxiously dialed Fred's cell. "Pick up. Pick up!" he urged, feeling the pressure of the other phone now safely stored in his pocket.

After the fourth ring, Fred's line picked up and he felt a slight release of tension. "Everyone still there?" he asked hesitantly, nodding as the other party answered. He let out a sigh of relief. "Well, there's at least that. No. We'll talk about that later. We should be back in a few." Then he hung up.

Coulson waited patiently for him to finish his conversation, hands behind his back. "What was that all about?" he inquired.

Tony slid his phone back into his pocket. "I just realized we'd left the others without a chaperone so I called to make sure they were all still there. Apparently Thor decided to stay back with them. They're okay but really anxious to know what's going on."

Natasha glanced between the two of them. "I can keep looking, if you want. I've already contacted Hill to keep an eye out, though it might be a little difficult with nothing to go on. This was planned. I just don't know how they found where we were so quickly."

Coulson frowned at that. "No," he stated. "The two of you should stay at the safe house and make sure nothing else happens. I'll head back to base to clear a few things up once we're sure everything is secure. Agent Hill will send out her best people to search for them. The best thing we can do right now is make sure the others are secure while we decide if we need to move them again or not."

"You know we'll have to," Tony spoke up. "If Stark Tower's deemed clear again, we can go back there. That way we'll have more at our disposal. Plus, chances are good they wouldn't expect it."

Coulson nodded. "Agreed. I'll make the arrangements. Don't move until you hear back from me." With that, he got back into his car and drove off.

"Well, this is going to be fun," Natasha commented as they watched the man drive off. Two ravens circled overhead as they got back into their cars.

* * *

Loki gripped the armrests of the throne as one of Heimdall's messengers gave him the news. "He is quite certain she was taken?" he asked, his disguised face stricken.

"It is as I have said, my king," the messenger confirmed as he bowed low on one knee. "She was taken, along with another Midgardian. I do not know where they are at this time. It is as though a shadow has hidden them from view."

Mouth working in a sort of pursed frown, Loki debated on what he should do. This girl was his ticket to overturning Odin once and for all. But he couldn't do that if other forces wanted to use her for their own ends as well. The universe couldn't have it both ways. And since they had no idea who had taken her and her little friend- well, something would have to be done about that.

Loki stood, smashing his staff against the floor so the sound echoed round the chamber. "This is unacceptable," he declared. "I cannot allow the offspring of a daughter of Asgard to be thus treated. I will go down myself and see what can be done with this satiation."

The messenger looked up questioningly. "My lord? Are you sure this is wise?"

But he was cut off by Loki swinging out the mighty cloak, giving him a look like only his adoptive father would give. "Silence. This child is of great importance to me. I cannot idly stand by while another tries to use her for their own ends."

Bowing low, the messenger dared not look up again as the overlord swept past him. He tried to squelch any thoughts that Odin had changed since he'd lost his son, Loki. It didn't help that the man had also lost his wife. Perhaps he had only sat too long and need to stretch his legs, in a manner of speaking. It was not his place to judge.


	28. Everything To Do With This

Hiro groaned, feeling like his body was made from molasses. What was going on? Had someone hit him upside the head? His vision seemed blurry. A sense of vertigo filled him as he tried to move to an upright position. No to the blow to the head theory, he decided. It didn't feel like that timeline where he'd tumbled down a cement embankment. Chances were good he'd been drugged. He just didn't know why. Weren't they just after Kally? And where was Kally anyway? He couldn't see her from his current vantage point.

Speaking of vantage points, he really didn't have much of one. As far as he could tell, whatever room he was in didn't have much space to it. In fact, if he reached out one hand, he could touch the wall. The floor was made of some kind of metal covered over with paint. He could feel the difference in texture as the coolness of the ground shifted away from his body heat. Was he in some kind of cargo container? And why was he only in his underwear?

No, the idea of a cargo container didn't seem quite right. But he definitely was not at Fred's vacation home, or a secondary safe house. He just had no idea where he was. And he wasn't sure he wanted to roll onto his other side to look in that direction and find out. Chances were good he'd find another wall within arm's reach and he didn't know if he wanted to try and confirm or deny that possibility. He felt a bit claustrophobic as things stood.

The sound of a door opening came from somewhere behind him, giving him the impression that the room was larger than he'd realized. With that unintentional reassurance, he tried to roll over but gave up when his vision blurred once more. Part of him wanted to be sick. Just what _had_ they given him?

"I see you're awake," a baritone voice said as the shadow of its owner came into view. "That's good. And don't worry. The effects of the drugs will wear off soon enough. We did think the trackers sewn into your clothes was a nice touch though. But it won't help your friends find you. I just wanted to make sure you knew the rules. You are currently a guest of ours and I expect you to behave yourself. Your friend's life may depend on it. "

Hiro did turn at those words, though he immediately regretted it as the room spun. He curled up into fetal position on his side. "What have you done with her?" he croaked as he screwed his eyes shut.

The man laughed without humor. "Nothing. Yet. And we won't do anything to her, as long as you cooperate. Soon, another of my associates will come see you and ask you to do something for us. Comply and all will be well. Don't and- well, I'll just leave that to your imagination."

Footsteps sounded, and then the door moved again, slamming shut as the man left the cell. Hiro pulled his arms around his chest, trying, in vain, to pull himself together.

* * *

After the initial shock had worn off, Fred and GoGo couldn't help but pace the yard. Fred was there more to keep GoGo company as she worked off some steam. This was now the second time someone had kidnapped their diminutive leader. The only difference was that this time Hiro wasn't in the form of a toddler, nor was he alone, which meant he hopefully had more of an ability to get away. Unfortunately, that line of thinking didn't help much, especially not when they added Kally into the mix. She was a complete unknown. Unfortunately, Fred was in no condition to let off his own steam. He'd tried to use the tracker he'd sewn into Hiro's clothes but nothing popped up, which meant either the device had malfunctioned or had been disabled. Either way, it was no more help than howling at the moon.

The two heroes looked up at their guardians as they returned to the safe house. Car doors slammed, body language speaking volumes of their frustration. Tony was the first to look their direction, pulling his sunglasses from his face. "Well, at least the others are still here," he said, though the two doubted it was meant for their benefit. He sounded almost facetious.

"Did you find them?" Fred asked, his expression a mask to hide his worry. He'd perfected it since the last incident of this nature. He wasn't about to lose it again, not like he had back then. It had caused too many repercussions. He just had to keep reminding himself that Hiro wasn't as helpless this time around. And, with luck, he'd be able to save both himself and Kally. He could almost imagine the two coming back down the drive, hand in hand, with news that they'd somehow outsmarted the enemy. Reality, of course, was never that nice and tidy.

Romanoff didn't say anything as she went inside. She paused only long enough to give Tony a meaningful look before moving out of sight. Coulson didn't say anything as he joined her, having decided to check over things at the safe house one last time before heading out. That left Tony to slowly walk towards the young couple. "I guess you heard," he said gravely.

"Yeah, we heard," Fred agreed. "Do you know who took him?" His expression remained carefully neutral, though there were hints of anger and frustration behind his eyes. He wondered if the others were being told as well, or if Romanoff and Coulson were bent on keeping mum.

Tony shook his head. "Whoever they were, they were professional. They had a second car waiting and were long gone before we even caught up with the first one. No, however these guys were, we're probably going to have a hard time tracking them down. It wouldn't surprise me if they were working with the two from Stark Tower though." He frowned at the idea before shaking his head and following after the other agent. "You should probably stay inside. At least for now," he added as an afterthought.

Fred cradled his arm, wincing as he subconsciously formed a fist with his wounded side, tightening the muscles. If whoever had taken them was professional, chances were good it would be that much harder for Hiro to find a way out of things. He didn't even bother mentioning having sewn trackers into the teen's clothes, much like Tadashi had. If they didn't ping for him, chances were good they wouldn't work for Tony either. "Come on," he urged his companion. "We might as well go inside and see if they can tell us anything more." He wasn't sure if he could weasel it out of anyone, but at least they could listen.

GoGo popped her gum, eyes hard as she realized Fred was right. Storming around outside wasn't going to change facts. And the sooner they got more information the sooner they could come up with a game plan. No one was sitting this one out. She doubted anyone could keep Fred from being a part of any rescue attempt, even with the bum shoulder. He'd find a way. He was just that stubborn. "Yeah," she said, giving him a quick nod of the head. She strode back to the house, Fred trailing behind her.

* * *

Kally groaned, feeling much like she had the first time after coming to from being drugged. Except this time didn't seem to hold the intense mood swings, even if the urge to hurl was just as strong as the first time around. Apparently the formula was different. She still felt a bit confused, but not like before. Part of her had to be adapting to this for her to remain so calm.

She found herself facing a metal wall painted sterile grey, the floor underneath her made of the same substance. She wasn't sure how she knew. She just did. It was likely some kind of steel, strengthened with something else. Another thing she realized, still not sure how, was that she was underground, several levels down, to be exact. And that didn't bode well.

Just as she'd somehow been able to defend herself back at Stark Tower, she felt her body tingle in an unfamiliar, yet not entirely unpleasant way. The drugs didn't seem to dampen it at all, though it kept her body from responding the way she wanted it to. It almost felt as though all her other senses were heightened as a sort of apology for her inability to move.

Footsteps sounded from somewhere outside her cell. She wasn't sure it was a permanent arrangement and hoped it wasn't. But the steps told her more than she cared to learn at the moment. They were purposeful, direct. Whoever owned the feet making that noise felt confident in their ability to get whatever job done.

The door to her cell opened and the footsteps stopped a few paces into the room. "Good. You're awake. It would seem we timed things just right. Your little companion is also awake. But don't worry. We won't hurt either of you, if you cooperate."

A chill ran down Kally's spine at these words. There was a hint of malice under the supposedly soothing tone. This man, whoever he was, had no intention of fulfilling any promises he might make with her. Well, with maybe the exception of not hurting Hiro so long as she cooperated. She wasn't sure on that point yet though. "What do you want?" she hissed through clenched teeth. The nausea hadn't abated just yet and it made moving difficult.

She could feel the man move a few more paces into the room, stopping to squat near her shoulder, just out of eyesight. "You'll find out in due time. We just wanted to let you know the rules for your stay here. Don't do anything stupid or you and your friend will both regret it. I'll be back when the drugs have run their full course to let you know what we want from you."

Kally felt her heart squeeze at his words. "Hiro has nothing to do with this," she protested. "Why not let him go?"

The man straightened back to his full height, his shadow falling over her. "He has everything to do with this. Just as you do. Try and figure out what if you can. We'll be in touch." With that, he turned and left the room, the door sealing behind him.

* * *

"What do you mean you're not going to tell us?" Wasabi complained as he stared at Coulson and Romanoff. This was so unacceptable, he was about to lose a gasket or spring a leak in his brain matter. "This is Hiro we're talking about! We know he's missing already, so why is it such a big deal for us not to know what's really going on?"

The two agents exchanged glances, barely noticing as Tony, GoGo, and Fred joined the whole group in the sitting room. "This isn't something you should become involved in," Coulson finally said. "Just leave it to us. We'll handle it."

GoGo moved into view, her expression hard as she popped a gum bubble. "Let you handle it? So far you guys have done a bang up job. Besides, it's our job to look after Hiro. And if Kally's with him, she becomes our responsibility too. You can't just shove us aside like trash."

Phil looked less than pleased with this turn of events. "We're not shoving you aside like trash. We're trying to protect you. Hiro and Kally might not be the only targets."

Honey wrung her hands. "That may be true, but why didn't they take advantage of your absence to come back for us? I hate to disagree with you, but I think they got exactly who they wanted."

Baymax simply stood nearby, taking in the differing data presented him. To say everyone was upset would be an understatement. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be much he could do about any of this. He hadn't been there to scan the kidnappers, which would have made finding them easier. But there were some things he could do. "I believe Honey Lemon makes a valid point," he stated.

All eyes turned to the vinyl robot, each of the agents contemplating him. Out of the entire room, Baymax was the most likely to have a clear head. He didn't have emotions. Well, him and JARVIS, Tony corrected in his head. Not that JARVIS was saying anything in his portable state in Tony's cell phone.

"You know, I think he's right," Tony finally sighed as he moved further into the room to fall back into a couch. "I think they got exactly who they wanted to."

Fred rubbed the toe of one of his shoes on the floor, making it squeak slightly. He cradled his arm in its sling. "So, um... what exactly does that mean for Hiro and Kally? Who took them, and why?"

Natasha's eyes hardened. "That's what we're trying to find out." She seemed more than ready to burst out of the house right at that moment, but part of her knew these guys needed answers. "Okay," she relented. "We were able to trace them as far as an abandoned car several miles down the road. We've got a team heading there now to work forensics. Maybe they'll find a clue, though I somehow doubt it. These people, whoever they are, are good."

"What about those guys from back at the tower?" Stark asked, looking at Coulson.

Coulson shifted his feet before answering. "They're both still unconscious," he admitted. "We've run their prints and DNA. So far, we haven't come up with anything. They're not on any database, which, unfortunately, doesn't necessarily mean anything at all."

Tony nodded. "Square one then," he sighed. "So, what do we know?"

"We know they waited until this week to attack," Wasabi hazarded. "They could have tried any other time, though this convention gave them, whoever they are, the best opportunity to get both Hiro and Kally with the least amount of effort. It's the only time they were both in the same place. In a way, we just made it easier by encouraging them to hang out together."

GoGo nodded at this logic. Chances were good the two would have been taken at this event, regardless of if they knew each other or not. But Wasabi was leaving out something important with that line of thinking. "But since they know each other, it changes the original dynamic. I'd be very surprised if Hiro didn't have a bit of a crush on Kally, which means he'll do whatever it takes to make sure she's safe. And even though he's not exactly the best in a physical fight, his brain could more than make up for that."

Fred nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right about that. It might take him a while, but Hiro usually comes out on top." Despite his words, he didn't look entirely convinced. That or he was thinking back on all the fiascos they'd gotten into in the past that had somehow affected Hiro. Even though he usually came out of each debacle, he didn't always come out unscathed.

"Let's keep going," Honey suggested. "Their knowing each other can also be used against them, if whoever they are figures it out. Hiro will help anyone who needs it, but if they suspect there's more of an emotional connection between the two, they might use that to their advantage."

The three agents watched their guests with growing awe and consternation. These kids obviously knew how to brain storm and problem solve, but how it funneled into something like this was beyond any of them. "I can see you've all given this a lot of thought," Coulson finally spoke up.

All four heroes stopped to turn and look at Coulson in varying degrees of shock, like kids with their hands caught in the cookie jar. Wasabi seemed to experience the worst case of any of them, though GoGo had the most poker face of the group. "Well, that's because..." Wasabi began.

"Hiro's gotten himself into trouble before," GoGo finished for him, before he could accidentally give anything away. "You know he used to do bot fighting, right? And not the normal tournament style either." She raised a brow at Honey's incredulous look. "What? It's the truth. Not that he does that anymore, but he used to."

Natasha exchanged glances with Tony. "Back alley bot fights?" She suddenly found herself in need of reevaluating young Hiro. She'd merely skimmed the files when she'd seen his status as a robotics genius, not bothering to dig deeper. Now she felt she should go back and do just that. It was entirely possible this was somehow related. "Just when did that stop?"

It was Honey's turn to answer. "He gave it up just before entering the showcase about two years ago now," she said with an air of distraction. "It was right after Tadashi convinced him to try to get into SFIT."

Tony sighed. "I can see there are things we've all underestimated about the kid," he admitted. "So we're going to need you to tell us everything you can that doesn't show up in the official reports. It might be the reason they decided to take him. And we'll need to find anyone who can give the same information on Kally. Their lives might depend on it."

The San Fransokyo heroes exchanged glances again, wondering just how on earth they were going to keep their "extra-curricular" activities out of the limelight. At least for now. There was no way they wanted any more to know about that than was absolutely necessary. And right now, they all didn't think it was.


	29. All Due To Genetics

When Hiro next came to, his head felt clearer, the dizziness reduced to a faint discomfort. He also found he could move more freely, without fear of the previous nausea. It was a nice change. But he also knew that meant his captors, whoever they were, would soon come around and start ordering him around or doing something much worse. He didn't want to think about the possibilities, but they didn't look good.

Kally was likely kept somewhere in the same facility he was in. At least he hoped she was. It would make future escape easier. But he also knew that guy hadn't been playing around with his threats of cooperate or she'd suffer. So he had to tread carefully with this, see just what they wanted him to do and figure out why. He doubted they'd tell him the why part. He just couldn't immediately come up with any ideas of what they might want from the both of them.

Okay, maybe that wasn't strictly true. Kally was a brilliant programmer. She'd created her own AI for crying out loud! Not that he hoped they knew about that. He was actually hoping they didn't. And then there was him. He was a robotics genius. So whoever these guys were, they probably wanted him to build something and her to program it. Somewhere down the road, they'd have to work together, which meant they were going to try and cow them both into cooperation. It wouldn't work. He'd gone through too much crap to give in, but he wasn't sure if Kally would or wouldn't.

Kally was still pretty much an unknown, for all the time they'd spent together over the last few days. And there were apparently things about her she didn't even realize yet, or hadn't, like being some kind of partial human. Did these kidnappers know that? Or were they just as clueless about that as everyone else had been? Being clueless about that would be a good thing, just as he was sure they didn't know everything about him.

Hiro hoped it would be the clueless thing. They could use it to their advantage if that were so. He just hoped there wasn't some kind of secret trigger to put her into combat mode and that she could somehow control it, though part of him thought it might be something like fight or flight mode. For both their sakes, he hoped not. He doubted she could take on the entire building, regardless of how many people were inside. And getting her killed wasn't part of his plan.

The door opened, but this time Hiro was better prepared for visitors. He'd sat up, with his back facing the far wall so he was looking directly at the door. Except the person who entered wasn't a man. Instead, it was a woman. He blinked in confusion, not sure what was going on, though he supposed it stood to reason there were female antagonists in all this as well as male. He'd just figured they'd send another guy, in case he tried anything.

"I see you're awake," the woman said without preamble. "Good." She moved into the room as she spoke, her high heels clacking on the floor. And, despite the stiletto heels, Hiro felt she was more than capable of giving him a run for his money. He'd fought too many villains not to know. They had that certain feel to them that he never could put into words, no matter how much he tried.

Hiro found he'd stood without thinking, possibly in an attempt to not feel small while this woman towered over him. She was a bit taller than he was, though not as tall as Honey Lemon was. The heels didn't help either. "What do you want with me?" he asked, trying not to let his voice give away anything he might be feeling. This woman was dangerous, but he couldn't help but feel like he'd seen her somewhere before. He just couldn't remember where. And because of that, he had to be careful, turning on the whole innocent act or she might know he was more accustomed to dealing with her kind of people than she should.

The woman stopped a few paces away from Hiro, looking thoughtful at his somewhat scared looking expression and her lips turned up into an almost menacing smile, which she quickly smoothed over. "Hello, Hiro. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. You may call me Ms. Kendrick." She reached out a hand as if to shake his.

But Hiro wasn't having any of that. It had been a while since he'd last played this game and it had taken him a moment to get back into the right head space, but he was there now. His knees appropriately shook as though he were afraid of what she'd do. "Y-you're the representative from Haedria Enterprises," he stuttered. It popped out before he could even think about it, realizing he'd only caught a glimpse of her at the welcome dinner for the student expo.

Ms. Kendrick looked mildly impressed. "I'm surprised you remembered. After all, you only had that one evening where you could have seen me. I didn't exactly stand out when they introduced everyone." Of course, it wasn't that surprising, considering his genius level intelligence, but if he was as innocent and naïve as he currently appeared, it wouldn't hurt to stoke his ego just a bit. It made the crash that more enjoyable.

"I tend to remember those kinds of things," Hiro admitted his head hanging down just a bit. Even though they hadn't officially introduced Ms. Kendrick at the welcoming dinner, she had been hard to miss. She'd worn a very impressive blue pantsuit with killer high heels. He remembered Honey Lemon commenting on them during one of the lulls in conversation. After hearing that, he couldn't really forget her, though it had taken seeing her in person to remind him of the encounter.

Ms. Kendrick nodded. "That's good. In fact, that's part of why you're here. I understand your brother created a robot for the healthcare industry." She didn't wait for him to answer, holding up a hand to prevent it. "We want you to recreate him for us, except not quite so cutesy. There will be, of course, a few modifications. We cant' compromise your patent, after all."

Hiro looked up in surprise. How had they known about that? Well, he supposed it wasn't exactly classified or anything, but that had been years ago. But why would these guys want a healthcare bot? Since they'd gone to the trouble of kidnapping him, he doubted it was for any good reason. The idea of using his brother's design for something potentially harmful made him sick to his stomach.

The woman didn't seem at all fazed by the sudden shade of green her captive had turned. In fact, she seemed to sort of relish it. "Yes, we know about that robot. We've been keeping tabs on you and it for some time. We also know the patents for it were transferred to you upon your brother's death."

"His name is Baymax," Hiro said with a suddenly dry mouth. His heart pounded at the idea they might take his brother's creation and horribly twist it into something outside of its intended purpose. If he didn't know any better, he somehow thought they might want to use it to harm people. Their current track record seemed to indicate that as well.

Ms. Kendrick looked thoughtful. "Baymax, is it? Interesting name. But need I remind you of the consequences if you don't cooperate?" She glanced idly at her nails, which were sharp and pointed. Hiro hadn't noticed before because he'd been too busy looking at her body language.

"I can create a body, but I can't do the programming," he admitted, recalling the threat from before. He would willingly sacrifice himself if need be to keep any of his creations from being used for ill intent ever again. But he couldn't make himself sacrifice Kally. That and he hadn't quite gotten far enough in his programming classes to feel confident in creating an AI.

"Oh, that's not a problem," Ms. Kendrick soothed, though her tone was far from comforting. "We happen to have a programmer, remember? One of your little friends, if I hear correctly. You two were brought in together, after all." Something flashed deep within her eyes. If Hiro hadn't been looking, he would have missed it. It was menacing and made his skin crawl. "And you've both already promised to work nicely with us."

The teen genius didn't need the second reminder, but it sent another jolt of fear through him. He didn't even have to pretend. Which confirmed to him that whatever they wanted to do with a copy of Baymax was not good, just as he'd supposed. He'd have to be careful and create some kind of fatal flaw that wouldn't immediately come to light. He just wasn't sure how. Because he doubted they'd give him much of a choice in the matter. Either way, the idea of corrupting his brother's life work wrenched his soul in ways he didn't want to think about. It hurt too much. But he feared losing Kally even more.

* * *

Loki stared around at the familiar streets of New York. This was one of the places where Kally Carmichael had stayed. The dorm room didn't look like much, though it was better than the cell he'd lived in back on Asgard, before he'd assumed the identity of his adoptive father. But it might give him so clue as to who had taken his ticket out of obscurity.

The girl's dorm mate had been a bit reluctant about letting him in, but under the guise of a police officer just following up on the supposed burglary, she finally gave him a break. She'd had to head to classes anyway, and could he please leave everything on her side of the room alone? It hadn't been touched in the break in.

With the pesky Midgardian girl out of the way, Loki went to work. He had more tools at his disposal than just primitive investigative skills and he put them to good use. After only a minute of looking around, he found a library book hidden under a nightstand, a Viking rune book. Well, that was interesting, he supposed though it wasn't entirely surprising considering her genealogy. It still didn't tell him who had taken the girl. It was interesting, however, that the puny mortals hadn't found it. Well, whatever.

His next stop was at the technology convention, where he'd learned the half-breed had some kind of project set up. The whole place was one giant maze of Midgardian savagery. He supposed it could be considered entertaining, though hardly progressive. He'd seen better projects. But when he finally found Kally's booth, there wasn't much to see. There were a few posters, some odd gizmo, but not much else. The darn thing didn't even work! Though, after closer inspection, he realized the brain of the project had already been removed. So much for that insight.

When he looked at a deeper level, however, he could almost smell the miasma of ill intent coming from the area. It was a couple of days old, but still there all the same. That kind of taint didn't just dissipate easily. He should know. Unfortunately, that meant Kally might have met her kidnappers here without even knowing it. It certainly presented interesting ideas though. They'd at least been watching her.

Since Loki was more familiar with the Midgardian world, he had a few theories he felt he could work on. The reason behind her, and her friend's kidnapping had to have something to do with this student expo. And since that was probably the case, he should investigate the other missing mortal as well. So, after some questioning, he found another area where the students had essentially abandoned their projects mid-conference. There was actually a nice smattering of abandoned exhibits, which confused him at first. Until he realized they were essentially all part of the same group.

It was possible that only one member of this group was the target, as he hadn't heard anything about more than two being taken. And if he was any judge, he thought it wasn't one of those with their wares displayed out in front. However, after some more investigating, he discovered that a fifth party from the same school hadn't been present to show off his project in the visual presentations on stage. This had to be the other missing brat. Well, they'd taken them both for a reason. Might as well go after the boy while he was at it. He prove useful.

Deciding there wasn't much else to see there, Loki headed towards the exit. On the way out, he accidentally brushed against an older looking man with a short, white beard. He thought something felt familiar about the presence he briefly touched, but when he turned to look behind him, he didn't see anyone there. Maybe he'd just imagined things, or the old man had turned off down one of the many rows of projects. Either way, he wasn't about to go after him on a random whim. Chances were good he had nothing to do with the matter at hand anyway.

* * *

Agent Coulson left the safe house soon after their discussion ended. He still felt the college students were holding out on them, but at least it was more than what they'd had originally. Hiro Hamada was an interesting kid, and had definitely had a hard life. There was no doubting that. What Coulson doubted was the lack of any real defining extracurricular activities. They'd been pretty vague on that end. It almost made it sound like the teen had no life outside of his robotics projects.

But with Coulson out of the way, Romanoff doing another patrol, and Tony taking a nap, the Big Heroes were left with just one babysitter, Thor. And he didn't seem to be under quite the same restraints as the other agents, if he could be called an agent. However, his knowledge of Avenger activity was limited, probably because he hadn't been there for most of it so far. There was something about being stuck in his home world due to breaking some rainbow bridge or something.

However, what Thor didn't know in SHIELD dealings was almost made up for with what other news he had to share with the young heroes. When pressed about what had caused Kally and Hiro to leave the safety of indoors in the first place, Thor confessed to revealing Kally's unusual heritage in a less than ideal manner. And when they'd asked for further details, he had to explain how Valkyrie fit into the grand scheme of things, including their occasionally coming to Midgard and finding a mortal lover.

"So wait," Wasabi put up a hand, "you're telling me Kally's like some kind of half god?" His eyes were wide as he contemplated the idea. It made sense on so many levels, especially after Baymax showed them the video footage from the tower the night they'd had to evacuate.

Thor gave an uncomfortable shrug of his shoulders. "I wouldn't quite say that. Valkyrie are warriors chosen by my father, Odin. They are endowed with great power, it is true. And some are indeed the offspring of Asgardian royalty. They are, however, all considered highly in Odin's eyes, and Kally's mother was no exception. I used to play with her as a child, along with my adopted brother Loki."

GoGo couldn't help but look a bit skeptical, while Honey Lemon looked impressed. "So, you're telling us Kally's weird ability to suddenly turn into a kung fu ninja is all due to genetics?"

The thunder god laughed. "It is by no means that simple, but if it helps you to better understand, I will say yes." He scratched absently at the back of his neck where his hair was still gathered into a thong. He would never call that remarkable invention a scrunchie or hair tie. It somehow didn't seem manly enough.

"Well, I think it's cool," Fred spoke up. He twitched, his shoulder pinging a bit. Part of him wished his body would heal already. There was no way he could fight like this and he hated it. "So, knowing that, how are we going to rescue them? I mean history's all fine and dandy, but it's not getting us any closer to getting Hiro and Kally back."

Honey bit her lip. "He's right," she agreed with a sort of nervous tone. "We can't rely on the possibility that her Valkyrie genes will activate again and save the day. Whoever these people are that took them, they knew what they were doing. At least it seems like they do, even if they don't know about Kally's mother."

"What she said," GoGo added in a bored voice. She parked herself on the end of the couch, sitting on the actual armrest portion. "So we have to come up with a plan."

Thor felt things were suddenly going in a direction he wasn't comfortable with. "Now just wait one moment," he protested. "I was left here to make sure no one else is taken by these captors. I am not about to let a bunch of children go charging across the land in the hopes of reclaiming a lost comrade." He knew it had to be said. These were, after all, merely children in his eyes, even if they didn't look quite like children. Part of him, on the other hand, was more than willing to help them make and enact a plan. He couldn't entirely ignore the plight of the underdog, especially one who wanted to fight for friends and family.

GoGo gave him a look, one of those "uh huh" kind of looks that pretty much said she knew he didn't really mean it but had to say it. The sarcasm was so thick it could be felt in the air. "So," she turned to look towards her companions, "do we tell him about that or just figure out something on our own?"

Honey worried her lip this time as she glanced back and forth between her team members. Chances were good they would need help. If these people were brazen enough to knock in Tony Stark's door, they were probably far more advanced than any villains they'd fought in San Fransokyo. But she also knew that anonymity was one of their greatest strengths at the moment. And until they had more intel, there really wasn't that much they could do. "Not yet," she answered.

"Agreed," Wasabi nodded. "We can't do anything without a plan. And right now we've got nothing."

Fred looked a little less certain on the subject as he rubbed at his shoulder. "Yeah, I guess," he finally answered. "But I think we'll have to eventually."

"I believe you are correct," Baymax inserted. "Now is not the ideal time. However, Fred is correct that it will need to be shared in the future." He knew if he were to fly out in full armor he could potentially find Hiro and Kally by scanning. But if they were in an area that was outside his reach, or that blocked his sensor, they would all be in trouble. It was best to wait until they knew more.

Thor looked a bit confused as he rubbed at his chin. "I am not sure what you were just discussing but it does seem there is something you wish to tell me at a later date. In the meantime, perhaps it would be wise to regroup and recover from recent events."

Baymax tended to agree, looking specifically at Fred as Thor finished speaking.


	30. Internship

The next time Kally woke up, she felt more like herself. Maybe it had something to do with having been previously drugged with whatever that stuff was. Maybe it was due to something else. Either way, she felt grateful not to feel like she had the last time. And she hadn't thrown up. That was very important.

There was one small difference, however, that she definitely didn't like. There was something around her neck that hadn't been there before. When she reached up to touch it, some kind of smooth material met her fingers, almost like plastic, but not. And if she felt all the way around it, she found where it fastened behind her neck. Her fingers tingled with the potential of energy coming from that band and she immediately knew she didn't like it.

"Admiring your new jewelry?" Ms. Kendrick spoke up from the far wall. She'd been leaning against it only a moment before. But now she moved towards the confused girl. "It's merely a precaution to ensure you don't try anything we'll all regret. After we hacked into some security feeds from Stark Tower, I felt the deterrent necessary."

Kally frowned as she bit her cheek. This didn't bode well. "So you put a shock collar me? What kind of sick and twisted people are you? I don't even remember doing any of that stuff. And when the others showed it to me, I still couldn't believe it."

Ms. Kendrick shrugged. "Perhaps it was a fluke brought on by an adrenaline rush. Perhaps it was something more. But until we can be sure of that, the collar stays." Her last words came out as cold as ice, her eyes flashing dangerously. "After all, I'm not entirely sure that it will be enough for us to continue to threaten the safety of your little friend. You seem to have a history of quiet defiance."

Teeth grinding, Kally balled her hands up into fists. "What do you want with us?" There were too many potentials to rule anything out just yet and she knew it.

The smile Ms. Kendrick gave her in return was more than menacing. "Your cooperation and skills, of course. You're an expert programmer, albeit new to the field. But that freshness only seems to add a sense of imagination to the process that adults lack." She leaned over Kally so that her shadow loomed over her. "What we want from you is a special program. I heard you were working on an artificial intelligence, and our man was quite impressed with your little science experiment back at the convention."

Kally's eyes went wide. "You want me to create an AI for you? Why?"

Ms Kendrick raised a brow, giving a slight nod towards one of several cameras in the room. She watched Kally writhed in pain from the jolt sent through her. "That's enough," she said to the air and the electrical current shut off. "Ask the wrong questions and you'll get the same treatment. Try to escape or do something to compromise your task, you'll get even worse. Not to mention your little friend will suffer just as much, if not more than that should you refuse to cooperate."

Kally felt sick to her stomach, her body still not quite responsive after the shock sent through her system. It didn't take a genius to realize the device had been placed at the precise location to cause maximum pain. Almost limply, she nodded, her tongue feeling numb. Part of her wondered where that extra whatever was that had allowed her to kick butt back at Stark Tower.

"That's a good girl," Ms. Kendrick smirked as she moved away. "I'll give you the night to think about things. Tomorrow, you begin work on your little program. We'll let you know the specifics then. Until that time, do try and get some sleep. You're going to need it." She walked to the door, which opened with a soft click as the electronic seals were released. The door closed just as silently after she'd stepped through to the other side.

Kally closed her eyes against the lingering pain, picturing Hiro in her mind. If they were willing to do that to her, what would they do to Hiro if she didn't cooperate? And what were they going to use Hiro for? The obvious answer was they wanted him to build some kind of robot. She just wished she knew what kind and why.

* * *

After a rather unsatisfactory dinner, the majority of the Big Heroes decided to call it a night, much to Tony and Natasha's relief. Initial questions hadn't been unexpected and they both felt glad that part was over, though there were likely to be more. It didn't help matters that someone had somehow managed to secret away their two captives from the hospital, negating the possibility of getting information from them when they finally woke up. If they woke up. They could have been removed as collateral damage and were now buried in some desert wasteland. They just didn't know.

Tony let out a sigh as he checked the clock. It was close to midnight and they still had no answers. Not even after he'd had JARVIS scan satellite footage for the car that had taken their guests hostage. The party responsible had to have either hacked the feeds or had some kind of device to cloak themselves from detection. Either was possible. The gist of the matter was they had nothing and they all knew it.

"Don't pout," Natasha admonished as she finished cleaning her gun. It hadn't really needed it, but she'd wanted something to do. The perimeter was secure and she'd just checked in on the others to make sure they weren't up to any nonsense. They weren't. "It's not like we'll be in the dark forever. We just need to go back over everything we've learned so far and see if there's anything we missed."

Thor glanced over from his perch on one of the sofas of the lounge room. "I do not believe there to be much from your current expression," he stated as he looked at Tony.

"Oh I'm sure there's plenty we missed," Tony replied. "That's what bothers me. I've been going over it all in my mind but can't seem to figure out what though."

JARVIS gave a reassuring sound from the billionaire's phone. "I'm sure you will figure it out sooner or later," he said dryly.

That caused Tony to sit up a little. "Do you know something I don't, JARVIS?" he questioned, his phone sitting out on the coffee table for such a purpose.

"I wouldn't dream of withholding such valuable information, sir," JARVIS retorted in kind. "I have gone over the data given me and seem to have discovered no more than you have. If I had better parameters to work with, that might change."

Tony rolled his eyes, even though the AI probably couldn't see it. "Let's go back over what we do have. Chances are good there's something connected with the student expo, so we need to factor in everyone who had access to it, including sponsors, students, organizations there to grab up new interns, and so forth."

"Would that include you and Miss Potts as well?" JARVIS droned.

Natasha finished cleaning her weapon and put it down. "That's probably a good idea, especially since they were attacked at Stark Tower. Include anyone who was working at home base and may have had access to your guest list."

"I am inputting the new parameters into my search," JARVIS announced. They all knew he could do that in the blink of an eye. The real question was how long would it take the AI to correlate all that data and find some kind of common denominator.

Thor sat back in his chair, hands behind his head. "While your funny butler is doing that, I would not mind some kind of libation."

Natasha gave him a sidelong glance. "No alcohol tonight," she admonished. "Coulson and Hill are hard at work trying to figure out how this happened. It's only fair we do the same."

Stark nodded in agreement, though he really wanted something strong to drown out his sense of failure. If it hadn't been for several mistakes he'd made, Kally and Hiro might still with them, instead of who knew where. "I'll go have another walk of the perimeter, just to be safe," he offered as he stood. Part of him hoped he could sneak a little glass of something while he was at it.

* * *

Loki dusted off his pants as he exited Stark Tower and slipped into an unmarked car. Being able to change his physical appearance certainly had its advantages, he thought as he put the car in gear. This time he'd masqueraded as one of those silly SHIELD agents. The agent he'd used lay in the back seat, unconscious. He hadn't hurt him, just borrowed his face, voice, and credentials. It was easier than marching in there as either Odin or himself. After all, his last encounter with this lot had ended with him being put into an Asgardian prison. He was not about to repeat that. That and they didn't seem to know who Odin was.

"Do not worry, mortal, I will soon return your vehicle to you," he told the unconscious man as he swung the car out into traffic. His plan was to drive a few blocks away, park in a parking structure of some kind, and leave it there for whomever to find. And since he'd take precautions, they wouldn't find anything to link the incident back to him.

The god of mischief had taken the opportunity to go so far as to duplicate the man's every detail, though he'd worn gloves just to be safe. That and the man hadn't seen him coming up from behind him either. He'd wake with a wicked headache, of course. But that couldn't be helped. His sacrifice meant Loki's gain, albeit unwillingly.

After circling around for a bit, ignoring the radio he'd thrown onto the passenger seat, Loki found the perfect structure and pulled in. He wound up and up until he reached the level second to the top and parked the car. It would be less likely they'd find this place any time soon. Unless the agent woke up before he intended him to that was. If that were to happen, well, there was still nothing they could do about it. He'd be long gone by then.

Loki had discovered some very interesting things. First, there was more to the other mortals than he'd thought. They were actually pretty intelligent, all things considered, though not as intelligent as he was. Despite that, he decided he could safely say they were smarter, by far, than his adoptive brother, Thor. That man was all brawn, no brains at all.

The second thing he'd discovered was that the agents were just as stupid as he remembered, missing some of the most essential of clues. It was obvious from the get go that whoever had taken the half-Valkyrie and her friend had gotten exactly who they'd intended to get. None of the other rooms had been disturbed by any intruders. And the fact that they'd seemed to know exactly where to look for those two spoke of an inside job. Loki knew a lot about those and didn't find it overly surprising. The bombs were a nice touch, though, even if they hadn't gone off.

And thanks to his charade as an agent, he'd been able to learn about the two intruders who they'd caught and taken to the hospital. He'd thought about going and interrogating them himself, until he'd learned someone had taken them out of the picture. That had thrown a damper on his plans, but he could still go there and check things out, only under a different guise. They might have left something behind he might find useful.

* * *

The night air felt good against Tony's face as he walked the grounds. He had to admit Natasha had a point. As such, he hadn't taken anything from the liquor cabinet on his way out, though it was very tempting. Instead, he'd grabbed some coffee from the kitchen to help wake himself up. It had been an eventful day, but he still needed to keep his wits about him. Even if the kidnappers had gotten who they'd intended, the others could still be in danger.

As he walked, Tony felt something in his pocket vibrate. Not sure what it was at first, he stopped to pat himself down. It took him a second to realize the vibrations were coming from the phone he'd picked up from the abandoned car earlier. He looked at the display screen, which indicated the incoming call came from an Aunt Cass.

Great, he groaned. Wasn't that Hiro's aunt calling? What in the world was he supposed to tell her without riling her up? With an aggrieved sigh, he hit the answer button.

"Oh hi, sweetie!" Aunt Cass's voice came over the line almost immediately. "I know you're probably super busy but you haven't checked in for a while so I thought I'd call and make sure you're okay. How's the expo going? Have you given your presentation yet? How are the others doing?"

The woman paused when she realized no one was answering on the other end. "Hiro? Are you there? Did you answer the phone in your sleep again? Oh honey, I'm sorry for waking you! I forgot all about the time difference!"

Tony cleared his throat. "Um, no," he replied. "Hiro's not available at the moment."

Silence followed his comment for several seconds before Cass responded. "Who is this? And why do you have my nephew's phone?"

Moment of truth, Stark supposed. Did he tell her what was really going on or lie to her? "This is Tony Stark," he responded.

"Oh! Mr. Stark! I'm so sorry!" Cass gushed. "I didn't recognize your voice and to have you answering my nephew's phone. Well, I just didn't know what to think. Is Hiro okay? Did something happen to him?"

Was it aunt's intuition? Tony wasn't sure, but he knew he needed to do something fast or they'd have an even bigger situation on their hands. "Uh, no," he replied, scratching at the corner of one eye as he continued to walk around the perimeter. "Hiro accidentally left his phone on my counter top. He's gone to bed already but I didn't want to leave you hanging. I did want to ask something, though."

Cass let out a sigh of relief as tangible as if she were there in person. "Yes?"

Tony put on every ounce of his usual façade, not sure how else he could get through this. "Hiro and his friends are having such a good time out here in New York so I thought I'd have them stay out for a few more weeks, you know, get a more in-depth tour of the area. That and I wanted to see how they'd do as temporary interns for my company."

The silence was filled with hints of excitement as Cass Hamada contemplated what she'd just been told. "You're offering Hiro an internship?"

"Temporarily, yes," Tony hedged as he switched the phone from one ear to the other, his eyes scanning the area for signs of trouble. "Think of it as a sort of probationary state to see if they're a good fit for my company. It's not uncommon in our industry. But since he's still technically a minor, I need your consent. Do I have it?"

"Yes!" Cass gushed. "Of course! You'll let his school know, though, right? I wouldn't want him to get in trouble with his professors."

Tony nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "Of course. I'll take care of it."

"Thank you so much!" Cass expressed before hanging up.

Tony let out a sigh as he deactivated the phone and slid it back into his pocket. At the very least, he'd bought them a little more time.

"Sir, are you sure it was wise to lie to her?" JARVIS spoke up from his phone.

Stark ran a hand through his hair as he paused once more. "No, not really," he admitted. "But I had to tell her something to keep her from worrying. What about you? Got anything for me?"

"I'm still working on it," JARVIS responded.

"Guess that makes two of us," Tony said as he returned to the task at hand. Part of him couldn't help but wonder just what those kidnappers were up to. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. They'd taken two of the youngest and brightest stars in the technology industry. He just hoped they would figure out who these guys were and why before anything really bad happened to those kids.


	31. Catatonic

The mush they fed him was more than lacking, Hiro thought in a groggy sort of way. It was a nondescript grey color and tasted like paste, and not the good kind either. He only hoped it had some kind of nutritional content or he'd really feel ill. The taste alone was enough to make him want to hurl, but he knew he needed to keep his strength up so he ate it, gagging the whole time. It helped that he was only half awake, because if he'd really been awake, he'd have just dumped it on the floor.

He hadn't even seen who'd brought in the revolting food, which was probably just as well. He'd still been asleep when it happened. It wasn't until after he'd finished that he discovered his cell wasn't as plain as he'd thought it was. There was a doorway off to one side with a small bathroom large enough to house a sink, toilet and an open shower. There was no curtain to cordon off the shower. The stream of water it let out wasn't all that impressive anyway. But it was better than nothing. He just hoped they didn't have a camera trained on that area. That would be more than embarrassing.

Then, when he went back to the main area, he'd discovered a fresh change of clothes. It was something more like a jumpsuit he'd imagine a prison inmate would wear, except it wasn't the typical color. It was green, and a little large on him, if he was being honest. He had to roll up sleeves and pant legs a bit. Part of him couldn't help but wonder if Kally was being treated to the same kind of ordeal, the food and the clothes, or if they were being nicer to her because she was only recently incapacitated due to medical issues. He kind of hoped that was the case. He didn't like the idea of them treating her like a criminal.

But even those thoughts were muddy as he tried to get his mind to focus. He thought he'd dreamed, but wasn't sure. Or was this the dream? Was he even awake? Everything felt so surreal to the point he couldn't be sure. Did they really want him to build a robot similar to Baymax? Or was that just a figment of his imagination? The notion just didn't want to stick.

Nothing made sense and he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu overpowering him. Had he been here before? Was he stuck in that time loop again? Or was this something different? He wasn't sure and the thought made him dizzy. Or maybe it was the food they'd given him, if it could be called food. If nothing else, his bran felt like it was stuck in a never ending loop.

Now that he thought about it, the walls seemed a little closer and he felt his breathing accelerate accordingly. What was going on? The last time he'd been confined like this was when he'd reverted to a toddler. He couldn't remember much of that time, just the suffocating feeling of fabric covering his entire body so that he couldn't breathe. He'd been out of it for most of the experience, which was probably just as well. But he remembered the fear that had bubbled up, which was more than enough to make his heart hammer at the recollection.

"Calm down. Calm down," he told himself, feeling the walls closing in a little more. But his heart wouldn't stop racing as the room around him changed to a dilapidated storage room in an abandoned warehouse, with a tangle of dirty quilts reaching out to snare him. He suddenly felt much smaller than he really was.

Without thinking, Hiro huddled into the corner furthest from the door, knees drawn to his chest to make the smallest ball possible. He hadn't thought this kind of space could affect him like this. Being stuck in a broom closet hadn't caused this kind of reaction. So why was he acting this way now? He had no idea and that scared him even more, his brain calling up those twisted memories.

The door to his cell opened by the time he'd reached full on hyperventilation. His eyes refused to focus on the intruder and he flinched away from the presence there, not seeing Ms. Kendrick but the psycho man, James, who'd kidnapped him only a few months before.

Ms. Kendrick paused at the spectacle before her. Fear did not surprise her, but she hadn't anticipated this kind of reaction as Hiro tried to press himself even further into the corner, his eyes almost wild looking. She strode over to the teen and reached out a hand to grab him. Part of her recoiled as he flinched away from her touch and let out a panicked scream. He scuttled as far as he could, until he hit the other corner, screaming the entire way.

She couldn't fathom any reason for this behavior and so pulled back on pure instinct. Her lips pursed into a frown as she contemplated the situation. Obviously something had happened to this boy, but what and why were lacking in her observations. The room hadn't bothered him the night before. It was silly to think it would now. No, it must be something else.

"Stop that!" Ms. Kendrick commanded from a safe distance. "You are to pull yourself together, understood?" She gave him a stern look but Hiro didn't respond in any way. He continued to huddle in the corner like a frightened mouse, except he was no longer screaming. He didn't have enough air to continue.

The whole situation was getting out of hand, she decided as he started rocking back and forth. At this rate, the boy would be useless to them. Had they really scared him this much? Again, she doubted it, but something had to be done before he went catatonic on them.

Ms. Kendrick looked up into the camera closest to her. "Bring me the girl," she ordered. Part of her wondered if this was a good idea, though she doubted anything else would bring him out of this state faster. She'd heard he relied on that nurse bot of his but didn't have the option of grabbing it just now. The thing was being guarded like a precious treasure, along with his friends. She'd have to get the next best thing and hope it worked.

* * *

Kally had just finished changing into the ugly green jumper they'd provided her when another strange man entered her cell. Like Hiro, she'd discovered the personal amenities and had taken advantage of them. The gruel didn't thrill her but she was hungry. Something told her she needed to keep up her strength. And since nothing else was provided, she made do with what she had.

The door opened without warning, the man entering without as much as a word. Intimidation tactic, she thought as he grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her into and an industrial looking hallway. "Put this on," he told her as he handed over a black hood.

With a sigh, Kally donned the hood. The heavy material blacked out her vision. Apparently they didn't want her to know the lay of the land, she surmised. The pressure of the shock collar was more than enough of a deterrent to tempt her to make a break for it. She doubted she'd get too far anyway, not until she knew more about this place.

A hand pressed firmly against her shoulder, guiding her down the hall. Despite the lack of sight, Kally felt the direction they traveled. It almost felt like she had a compass built into her brain to tell her the longitude and latitude she traveled on. And by counting her steps, listening to the change in sounds around her, she felt she had a decent idea of how far she'd gone before the man pulled her to a stop.

Another door opened and the hood was pulled from her head. It took her a moment to readjust to the difference in lighting. But once her eyes had adjusted, she couldn't help but stare in confusion at the room so similar to the one she'd woken in.

Ms. Kendrick stood to one side. "Think you can get him to calm down?" she asked with arched brows. Her tone was flat somehow, and almost lifeless, but still with hints of threats in it as she glanced towards the corner where Hiro huddled like a frightened rabbit.

Almost as if she wasn't sure if this was some kind of trap or not, Kally slowly moved forward. "Hiro?" she asked in a halting voice, not sure what to think of this situation. Just what had they done to him, she wondered. She couldn't see any outward injuries. Was it something psychological? From what she understood, he had been through a lot over the past years, though she still didn't know what. Maybe something their captors did had triggered something.

Hiro sort of whimpered in his corner as Kally approached him. She felt her heart tear a little at the sight. "It's okay, Hiro," she soothed, using the same voice she'd use on a frightened animal she'd once found in a park. And the entire time, she inched forward a little bit at a time until she could reach out a hand to gently touch him on the hand. She did so gently, hoping it wouldn't further aggravate whatever was going on. "It's going to be okay."

The shudder that ran through him set her teeth on edge. What had done this to him? She thought about looking back to give Ms. Kendrick a dirty look but didn't. They'd probably shock her for the action if she did. And that wouldn't help Hiro by any stretch of the imagination. Part of her couldn't help but want to find a way to fix whatever it was that was wrong, to see his goofy grin light up his face like it had back at Stark Tower, even if just a little.

Instead, she gently caressed Hiro's hair, pulling him into her arms. "Sh. It's okay. It's okay," she whispered, silently promising him to find a way out of this mess. "It will be okay." She resisted the urge to smile softly, aware it might clue their captors in on their budding relationship.

She could only guess they'd had her come in because she was the only familiar thing he had, as tenuous as that was. And while it wasn't as good as having one of his long time friends, it was better than nothing. That and Hiro seemed to somewhat respond to her gentle touch and soft words. She somehow doubted Ms. Kendrick capable of such sentiments.

Hiro buried his head in Kally's shoulder, eyes closed. Another small shudder escaped his body before he went limp. Kally wasn't expecting this turn of events and staggered a bit against his weight. Despite his small size, he did have a bit more weight on him than she'd expected. She looked to see his closed lashes, realizing he'd blacked out.

"I'm aware you only just met each other," Ms. Kendrick spoke up. "But do you think you can give me any insights as to why he nearly went catatonic?" Her tone hinted at impatience, even though it was curious in nature.

Kally gently moved Hiro to the floor. He didn't as much as stir. Her mind raced. Obviously they didn't know much about each other yet, but she didn't want to give away what she did know either. "I have no idea. Maybe it's the room. His friends did say he has trouble with certain kinds of rooms. Something to do with his brother, I guess." It made about as much sense as anything else did, even if it was a lie.

Ms. Kendrick pursed her lips even more. Hiro was no good to them if he couldn't function. And while she doubted his reactions had anything to do with the death of his brother, she had to take into consideration Kally's words. Their schedule didn't allow for finding a replacement, and she doubted they'd find someone as qualified in the time required either.

"I did hear he likes to sleep in the lab when working on a project," Kally offered as she regained her feet. Anything she could do to help Hiro would be worth it.

The woman continued to purse her lips as she thought out this new bit of information. If Ms. Carmichael was correct, it would likely be more conducive to have Hiro set up in the lab, with a small living space off to one side. They'd have to make some arrangements, but it was doable.

"Have him sedated for now," the woman instructed the man who'd brought Kally. "And take her back to her cell."

* * *

The Big Heroes finished packing up their stuff. It hadn't taken long, mostly because half of their things were still at Stark Tower. But, thanks to the efficient work of SHIELD's agents, they were getting ready to head back.

Tony got the call halfway through breakfast. The building was secure once more. There were a few last minute repairs but they'd be done by the time everyone came back. And just to be safe, they'd taken the liberty of changing room assignments to put their guests closer to the penthouse level. That and they'd made arrangements to have more agents in the building, especially on the floors they'd be using. None were the same from the previous detail, only getting their orders hours beforehand.

"I wish they'd make up their minds," Wasabi complained as he zipped up his travel bag. "We've done nothing but bounce from place to place since we came out here."

Fred nodded in agreement as he finished up with Hiro's things. Someone had to take care of them. And no one had bothered the day before, what with everyone trying to figure out what was going on and all that. "I know what you mean," he sympathized. "But at least this time we won't be chased by a bunch of random dudes trying to kidnap us. That's got to count for something."

The mascot readjusted his sling, hoping Wasabi didn't intend to check up on his packing skills. With only one functional arm, he hadn't exactly been able to make everything nice and tidy. All that mattered was that everything fit. That and Wasabi was taking his dear sweet time arranging his things.

Wasabi had to concede the point. It was also less likely they'd drug him with some kind of sleep aide this time around. He still wasn't sure they hadn't on the way over to Fred's vacation house in the first place. He had is suspicions on the matter.

GoGo popped her head around the door jamb, gum mashing around in her mouth. "You guys done yet?" she asked with an air of impatience. "They're all waiting for you downstairs."

Wasabi finished stowing his gear and slung the carrying strap over one shoulder. "I think we're good here," he replied.

Before Fred could answer, GoGo grabbed Hiro's bags and headed out of the room. The mascot followed her, more than ready to get back into action. It wasn't that he minded her helping him out, but he was a little tired of needing it.

* * *

Downstairs, Natasha double-checked their orders. She pressed one finger to her hear to block out excess noise as their charged tromped up and down the stairs. She wore a Bluetooth in the other ear. "Sounds good," she said to whoever was on the other end. "We'll meet you there."

"That your lover boy?" Tony quipped as he entered the room. He'd just helped take the last load of luggage out to the car. One of the other agents had swapped out one of the previous vehicles for a van. The other car would drive as lead to look for any trouble.

Natasha rolled her eyes. " _Dr._ Banner," she corrected. "He'll meet us back at the Tower. There's something he wants to show you."

Tony wasn't sorry the Hulk hadn't made it to their current location. But he'd apparently had some fun at the decoy one. Maybe he had found something over there that might help them with their current situation. "My bad," Stark stated. "I just thought you two had a thing."

Honey walked past at that moment, her eyes wide at Tony's comment. But she schooled her face. "I think we're just about ready to go," she spoke up. "They've got Baymax situated. We're just waiting on you two."

The chemist had volunteered to retrieve the last two members of their party. The others seemed more than inclined to let her. Aside from which, the other agent, plus Thor, were making sure the surrounding area was clear.

"You heard her," Romanoff said, bypassing Tony's remark. "Let's go." She pushed past the billionaire to head outside. She'd be in the first car with the other agent. That left the van to Tony and Thor, which suited her just fine. They both talked too much.

Honey followed the two Avengers out. The gravel of the drive crunched underfoot as she headed to the van and slid into the seat next to GoGo. The boys were in the back, with Baymax between them. They'd all decided it would be wise to keep the health care bot active in case he should be needed. Better safe than sorry.

"Finally," GoGo drawled as the door closed and Thor and Tony buckled their respective seat belts.

Stark pulled down his sunglasses enough to glance back at the adrenaline junky unhindered. Despite the look he gave her via the rear view mirror, he didn't comment. Instead, he put the vehicle in gear, following the car ahead of him. With luck, this trip would only take a few hours. He was kind of glad Pepper had opted to stay out of the way for a while.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter for Easter. And no, it's not an April Fool's prank.

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Cat's Out of the Bag  
**

Loki stewed over what information he'd gleaned over the last twenty-four hours. These kidnappers were pretty crafty, but not as careful as they could have been. True, they'd left no physical evidence behind, but that didn't rule out other things. It was a shame these puny humans didn't realize that.

There was a decided connection between the kidnapping and the technology expo. He'd felt similar intent at all the locations associated with both. It was perhaps fortunate he'd arrived at the safe house they'd used after the others had left. He didn't want to run into Thor until he had to. But the intent there was the same. Now if only he could put a face to those feelings, he might actually get somewhere.

He'd disguised himself as a city worker, a lineman to be precise. From the high power poles, he'd seen a fair deal more than those who had to rely on the ground. Technically, he'd arrived just as the others were leaving. So that had been a near thing.

But by no means was the place deserted. He'd noted the presence of a middle-aged couple still in the mansion. They showed no signs of being involved though, so he quickly swept them to the back of his thoughts. There was, however, a faint trail of energy leading away from the place. It reminded him a bit of Asgard.

Only one type of being would leave behind that kind of signature. It had to come from Kally Carmichael. He practically flew along the trail, using his magic to make the going faster.

The trail headed north for a while, following the course of several country roads until it hit the 287. After a while, however, it changed as the scent veered off the freeway and to a small higher, the 23. From there, they went back to country roads. He caught enough of a signature to realize they'd changed course, now heading in a westerly direction. And, as the road became more congested, connecting with another interstate, he lost track of the scent all together.

Loki went over the area several times, trying to recapture the trail. But there were too many disturbances to catch it. At the very least, he knew the kidnappers were no longer in the state of New York. He just wasn't sure how far west they'd gone.

* * *

An hour had passed since the silent man had returned Kally to her cell. She'd paced the small space more times than she cared to count. There obviously was a lot more going on than she'd realized. Most of it had to do with Hiro and his past, but a good deal went towards what these people were doing here and why. She'd caught snippets of conversation coming from different open spaces. Some of those spaces were either halls or rooms with open doors. The point remained, she had only a few pieces to potentially several puzzles and no idea how they all fit together.

Before she could get too far in her thinking though, another guard came to fetch her. She didn't resist as the man silently led her down the hall in the opposite direction as before. Chances were good Hiro wasn't down the other way anymore anyway, though part of her wondered.

This new guard led her to a workroom with a solitary computer station and lots of desk space. There were even notebooks and writing tools waiting for her to use.

The door locked behind her as Kally took in the room. She noted several cameras looking down from the ceiling. There were enough to cover all the angles. Chances were good there were even a few at the desk level, if she was any judge of how paranoid these people were.

The computer desk sat away from the wall, with the power outlet below the tower. There were no network cables or external signs of a modem or routers. The computer was completely cut off from any network she could see.

Kally's next task was to inspect the hardware. She pulled out the tower case, disconnecting the power, and opened it. The motherboard was top of the line, with a lot more RAM than was probably necessary. An empty slot spoke of where a LAN port had once sat before being removed. The hard drive was large in capacity and brand new.

Finished tinkering , Kally put the case back together and reattached the cords. It booted up on command and she quickly instructed it to open the bios function before it could boot the operating system. Everything seemed set to factory default so she exited the program and booted the operating system.

"Getting settled in?" Ms. Kendrick spoke up from the now open doorway of the room. She appeared amused as Kally jumped. Her presence had clearly not been expected.

The woman entered the room, the door locking behind her. "I hope you don't mind the lack of external access but we couldn't risk you trying to send out an SOS. I'm sure you understand. Not that it would work anyway, but who's to say you wouldn't try?"

Kally took two steps away from the computer, hands now behind her back. "I just wanted to see what I'm working with," she hedged.

Strictly speaking, she wasn't lying, though part of her had hoped there would be something she could use to contact anyone on the outside. So much for that idea, she thought.

"You will take your afternoon and evening meals in here," Ms. Kendrick announced. "I'm sure once you get started, you won't want to be disrupted by being taken back to your room for every little thing. You will begin your day as you did earlier, and will be brought here as soon as you've dressed and eaten. You will be escorted everywhere you go as well."

Ms. Kendrick paused as if for breath, except she scrutinized her charge instead. "That includes breaks for the restroom and anything else. Behave and you'll be rewarded. Don't and both you and your friend will be punished. Any questions?"

The temptation to ask about Hiro welled up inside of Kally but she pushed it down. It would only show how much she cared for him. So, instead, she remained silent.

"Good," Ms. Kendrick said as she straightened her pantsuit. "I'll let you get to it. Oh and please do remember you are constantly being monitored so don't do anything we all might regret." With that, the woman turned and left the room.

Kally slowly let out her breath, not currently worried about what anyone outside the door might or might not be doing. Except for Hiro. She hoped he was okay, though part of her doubted it.

* * *

Hiro felt groggy when he woke up. There was an unpleasant taste in his mouth and his brain felt hazy. He had a hard time remembering what had happened after he'd changed into the ridiculous green jumpsuit. Apparently he'd somehow messed up because the signs of sedation were strong in their after effects. He'd been there too many times not to recognize them.

The next thing he realized was that he was on a cot instead of the floor. It felt like a camping cot not dissimilar to the ones he and his friends used from time to time. Sadly, there was no blanket in evidence. That might have helped him feel a bit better about things, but he supposed they thought it a risk or something.

He sat up, realizing he was behind some kind of screen. The space was small, just big enough to give him some leg room, with an opening into the unknown. He almost thought of the space Tadashi used to use but brushed the thought aside. It wasn't the same. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what lay beyond the screen anyway, but decided it had to be better than the edge of panic he felt in not knowing.

Feeling a bit stiff, Hiro got to his feet and approached the opening. He felt the panic recede at the sight. The familiar layout of a robotics lab met his eyes. It wasn't like the one back at SFIT, but its purpose was unmistakable. They even had a 3-D computer and printer.

There was one major difference from his personal lab space back home though, aside from the layout, the presence of people he didn't know. There were three of them. They also wore jumpsuits, except theirs were white instead of green. And they were all decidedly older than him. He somehow doubted they were there against their will.

Those three looked up from random paperwork and something he couldn't immediately identify the moment Hiro entered the main room. It took the youth a moment to realize they'd been fiddling with something all too familiar, his microbots.

Hiro felt a jolt run through him at the realization. He resisted the urge to urgently pat himself down, looking for the neural transmitter. Thankfully, that was still with the rest of his belongings at Fred's vacation home. At least that's what he hoped. "Those are mine," he stated calmly as he moved over. It was time to try and assert some kind of control over his situation.

It didn't look like they'd gotten far with them yet. And there didn't seem to be any more of the little bots than there should be. Under scrutinizing eyes, he found a bucket and scooped the small black objects into it. "Don't touch them again. Ever."

Not waiting to see what consequences his words and actions might earn him, he carried the bucket over to one of the work stations and slid it under the table. With his back turned to the three men, he pulled over the nearest sketchbook. Locating a mechanical pencil, he began to doodle. They wanted something like Baymax. Well, they wouldn't like what he was about to give them.

* * *

Stark Tower loomed overhead. From all appearances, nothing untoward had happened there recently. All visible damage had been repaired. All the same, the Big Heroes were more than happy to get rooms on a different floor. This one put them almost on top of the penthouse where the "adults" could keep an eye on them. It was also harder to reach that level without the proper clearance, which was restricted to a select handful of people.

With just the five of them, they only needed two rooms, one for the boys and one for the girls. Baymax opted to rotate as needed, starting with Fred and Wasabi. Since he didn't need to sleep, his charger was stowed in the room Fred and Wasabi shared.

Their return came almost on the last day of the student expo. One of Tony's guys had collected their things for them, which meant they were pretty much done with the whole affair. And, having missed pretty much the majority of it, they were basically disqualified from any awards. It was probably just as well as no one felt like going to the closing ceremonies.

GoGo leaned against the headboard of her borrowed bed. "This really sucks," she stated. "Are we just supposed to sit tight and hope something happens?"

"We could always go home," Wasabi spoke up from his position on a convenient chair. They'd opted to meet in one of their rooms to have some semblance of privacy. "You know, regroup?"

GoGo glared daggers at him. "Are you insane? We're not leaving without Hiro." She angrily blew then popped a gum bubble as she leaned forward, elbows on her knees.

Honey Lemon looked a bit nervous as she put out a placating hand. "No one is leaving anyone behind," she reassured. "But couldn't we do more from home?"

Not to be left out of the conversation, Fred stood from the edge of the bed. "I gotta say I'm with GoGo on this one," he announced. "There's nothing at home we can't get here." He waved his arm to emphasize their current location. "Tony has more hookups than I do and that's saying something. Besides, I don't think they plan on letting us out of their sight until we all know what's going on. I vote we stay put. At least for now."

"I would also like the opportunity to understand what has occurred and why," Baymax spoke up. "I do not intend to leave without Hiro. He is my patient."

Wasabi let his shoulders sag. "Okay. Fine," he caved. "But what exactly can we do about this whole crazy situation? It's not like we can burst into where ever they've taken Hiro and Kally and just demand they give them back. This situation is way over our heads!"

"Maybe we should just tell them," Honey spoke up. "You know, about us? Maybe they'd let us help."

But GoGo shook her head. "That's a whole lot of maybes. Besides, there's no guarantee they'd actually let us do anything. After all, to them we're just a bunch of kids."

"Although I do not know what you are referring to when you speak of some secret, I can assure you the chances they would allow you to help are slim to none," JARVIS spoke up from a hidden speaker.

The less than gentle reminder that they weren't ever technically alone in Stark Tower shook most of them. GoGo pursed her lips. "We obviously can't talk about this kind of stuff here." She rolled her eyes for emphasis. "For all we know, Jeeves is recording everything we say and is playing it back to them."

"It's JARVIS, actually," the AI butler corrected. "And I have not yet mentioned your conversations to Mr. Stark or the others, regardless of how cryptic they may sound. I can only fathom, however, that this information you wish to keep secret has something to do with the luggage you have yet to unpack. I refer to the bags with what appears to be carbon fiber body armor."

Everyone froze at that, eyes going wide. Wasabi almost chocked but it was Fred who broke the sudden silence. "I was wondering when you'd bring that up," he admitted. He shrugged as the others looked his way. "What? Some areas here have really good scanners. I'd be surprised if he didn't know."

"If he knew all that, how come he didn't detect the bombs Stark said were planted until after we'd left?" GoGo demanded as she got to her feet. Her fists nestled against her hips as she glared.

"You do know I am still listening," JARVIS reminded. And though he was not visible, everyone could hear the eye roll. "But to answer your question, it is possible the components were smuggled in separately and assembled at the last moment."

Wasabi nodded in time with Honey. "It makes sense. They could have been at it for weeks without anyone the wiser." He paused in thought. "I do have another question though. Just how did they sneak past you in the first place? I mean don't you have a list of approved guests and stuff?"

While waiting for JARVIS' reply, GoGo returned to her prior seat. Everything said so far was plausible. But, like Wasabi, it disturbed her that someone had slipped through the cracks so thoroughly.

"I can only deduce that they either impersonated approved personnel or somehow managed to add themselves to the list," JARVIS finally admitted. "You still have not told me what you intend to do with your carbon fiber body armor. Judging from the dimensions, I feel it safe to conclude you may be the Big Hero team from San Fransokyo."

Honey gave her teammates incredulous looks, wondering if they were thinking the same thing she was. Either way, the damage was done. "I guess the cat's out of the bag," she commented in an overly cheerful voice as she adjusted her glasses.

GoGo glared. "That's putting it mildly," she snarked. "So, what are you going to do about it?" She crossed her arms as she spoke, looking at the nearest wall as if the butler would appear there.

"At the present moment, I do not plan on doing anything about it," JARVIS responded. "I gathered you wish to keep this information from the others until a time of your choosing."

Baymax blinked a few times at the conversation. "Anonymity is important to our overall mission," he stated. "Having our identities revealed may give rise to undo physical harm."

"What he said," Wasabi agreed, arms folded. "Being underestimated has always helped us in a pinch. But I do have to point out we will have to tell them eventually."

Fred looked thoughtful at that, nodding slowly. "I hate to admit it, but he's right. It's not like we have home court advantage here. Aside from which, we really should try and find a way to figure out who took Kally and Hiro in the first place, without getting into trouble."

"I promise to refrain from mentioning your current plans from the others," JARVIS inserted. "So long as I deem your actions remain rational and sound, without endangering you or others."

GoGo popped another gum bubble at that. "Well, that's nice of you." She checked her watch, realizing it was getting on in the evening. "Let's table this for now and find some food. I'm starving."

Her words sparked realization in the others as they too checked the time. With all in agreement, they went to find their host, hoping for both food and good news.


	33. Sammy

Darkness covered the ground as Loki contemplated his options. There was something niggling at the back of his mind that he'd missed something. He had no idea what though and that bothered him.

There were spells he could use to try and locate the missing teens. But they would require the use of some DNA from one or the other. He hadn't found any in Kally's dorm room and hadn't thought about it at the other places.

He supposed his best bet was to return to an area most likely to carry the DNA of either subject. That meant a trip back to Stark Tower. Or, in retrospect, he could visit the boy's home over in San Fransokyo. All he had to do was go there and find some. A strand of hair would work best.

Upon further contemplation, the god of mischief decided that might be his best course of action. With the right tools, he could be there by morning, charm the aunt, or just sneak in and be on his way.

It was so simple he wasn't sure why he hadn't thought of it before. Without a second thought, Loki set out for San Fransokyo.

* * *

Hiro had lost track of time and that was a dangerous thing to do. Since he only slept when he had to, there was no telling how long he'd actually been in that lab. It didn't help that there were no windows to indicate night or day. Nor were there any clocks. Weeks could have gone by and he wouldn't have known it.

The designs for a robot similar to Baymax were easy to create. He'd done that more than enough times to remember them by heart. What made it take longer was trying to build in a flaw that wouldn't be obvious or easily detected. Someone watched his every move and double-checked his work. Or what they could understand of it. He'd opted to use a code for all his work, one that he and Tadashi had devised as children. That way the visual information was there, but the technical specs couldn't be replicated without him present.

If he was designing a robot, it only took a moment to realize they wanted Kally to create a program to run it. This, of course, meant they'd eventually have to be put together, though he doubted that would happen before either one of them broke in spirit. He could only hope she'd find a way to sabotage their plans on her end as well. With the careful scrutiny he was under, he wasn't sure he could build in a fault or not without them knowing.

Hiro's stomach felt funny. It was a feeling he'd been ignoring for some time, along with the slop they called food. There was no way he was going to eat that. And since he kept himself at least looking like he was busy, it was fairly easy to avoid, though he had to pretend a time or two to eat the disgusting stuff. That and he hadn't had much of an appetite anyway, at least as far as that slop was concerned. He didn't know how anyone could.

The world swam before his eyes and he leaned against the worktable where several long rods were laid out. To all appearances, he was merely looking at some small detail in the metal. Just how long had it been since he'd actually eaten anything? Or slept, for that matter. He wasn't sure. He'd been too busy looking at different materials to notice. And since he'd lost all sense of time, he had no way of knowing. Not that he'd have eaten that play dough tasting crap if his life depended on it. He didn't know how anyone could.

And then there were the dreams that weren't quite dreams when he closed his eyes. He knew they were all memories of his past lives. The Doctor hadn't said anything about them continuing to haunt him like a really bad case of PTSD, though part of him had gotten used to it. Okay, who was he fooling? That's exactly what was happening and he knew it, the PTSD part. And it took just about everything he had to not outright lose it. Baymax usually helped him calm down after any such occurrences, but Baymax was who knew how far away. And there was no way he wanted him there, not knowing these people would leap at the chance to tear him apart and reverse engineer him if Hiro failed.

The end result was he barely slept and hardly ate. And it was wearing on him. That and he was isolated in a strange place under 24-hour surveillance, held against his will under threat of physical violence against both himself and Kally if he acted out of line. He'd been under crazy amounts of pressure before, but this was more than enough to break any normal person. And he had those recurring dreams of past lifetimes full of horrible things to top it all off.

Hiro closed his eyes, willing the world to stop spinning. He could almost feel several pairs of eyes on his back as the two "helpers" in the room watched him. They were more glorified watchdogs with B.S. degrees in robotics. But they were apparently not quite smart enough to do what Hiro was doing, or to figure out his code. He doubted anyone but Tadashi could ever crack it, especially since Tadashi was technically the one who'd invented it. His brother had been good with codes.

The air whooshed in and out of Hiro's lungs as he tried to calm his heart, which had started pounding in his ears. This did not bode well. Something was definitely wrong and no amount of willpower was going to fix it. It took him all of two seconds to realize the movement of his lungs had changed as outside stimuli fell into the background. All he could hear now was the whooshing of his breath as it sailed in and out of his lungs with increasing tempo.

His legs felt like melting putty, shaky under the rest of him. He could feel them give out from under him as his body subconsciously pulled back from the table. It was probably not a bad thing he didn't feel much of anything else after his head slammed into the table's edge before he hit the ground.

* * *

Ms. Kendrick looked up from one of the monitors in the main security room as one of the techs called out in alarm. "What happened?" She moved to the station and keyed up the footage in question, watching as Hiro swayed before succumbing to gravity.

The woman let out a sigh. "Send in the medics," she ordered as she turned to the original monitor. The incident wasn't exactly a welcome one, but not entirely unexpected. She just hadn't expected this precise outcome. All the same, it was a huge inconvenience.

They'd been pushing both teens quite hard. The fact that Hiro hadn't eaten or slept much was well-known. The probability that there were some underlying emotional issues was high. And living in a heightened space of time probably didn't help. It was no secret that even she felt disoriented when she went back into normal time in order to interact with the rest of the world. Not that it was exactly a difference of time so much as a difference in space.

It was all thanks to the teseract they'd found back in the day. They'd been able to harness its powers to make some amazing weapons. But, and perhaps more importantly, they'd managed to use it to create pockets of altered space where time seemed to run much differently than in the rest of the world. This had allowed them to ramp up productivity on many levels. While normal society went on in the world around them, they were living in a bubble that allowed them more than five times the amount of usual time. To say a sense of jet lag followed any change from one space to the other was an understatement. There was a reason it had taken their prisoners a full twenty-four hours to get accustomed to the change, drugged or not. It was just too bad they'd lost the teseract and now only had its remaining energy to rely on.

To the world outside, maybe two or three days had passed, if that, since those two promising students had disappeared. But to those two students, and those in the facility where they were being kept, about two weeks had already come and gone. At least she assumed the ratio was accurate. It wasn't always a reliable scale, like their particular bubble occasionally got close enough to sync up for just a moment before hurdling back out to wherever it really was.

Movement flashed on the second monitor and Ms. Kendrick straightened. Kally didn't seem to be having the same difficulties Hiro was. She ate the gruel without complaint, returned to her cell without a struggle, and at least pretended to get more than a few minutes of sleep here and there. Now she was hard at work, frowning over something on her computer screen. The isolation didn't seem to trouble her at all.

"The medics have arrived," the tech informed her boss.

Two men in white scrubs now appeared onscreen with Hiro. They had the unconscious youth on his back and seemed to be checking his vitals. It looked like there was a wicked gash to one side of the teen's head, which one medic covered with gauze.

Ms. Kendrick released an inward sigh. This was decidedly going to set them back. But at least those so called Avengers still didn't seem to have a clue what was going on or where to look. It had been a risk to take those two out from under their noses, but it had paid off. Apparently they weren't as formidable as reported. How disappointing. She was more than ready for a good fight.

While she contemplated things, the two medics placed Hiro on a stretcher and carried him out of the room. She'd give them a bit to assess the damage before making a visit. There were other things she could do in the meantime, like harass Kally Carmichael.

* * *

Baymax stood in his charger. With everyone else asleep, he didn't have much else to do. Well, mostly asleep, he amended. Several of Mr. Stark's people were still awake. And JARVIS never slept.

To say being parted from Hiro made him feel uncomfortable might be a stretch, but his overall evolution allowed for a sense of growing concern at his absence. He would have liked to keep Kally close at hand as well. She'd undergone a great deal as of late and he wanted to be sure she was all right.

I would also like to know if she's all right,  a female voice spoke up in his central processing unit.

Baymax rotated his head back and forth. Either his programming was malfunctioning or he was now sharing space with a second AI. "Hello," he greeted the voice. "I do not believe you should be in my memory banks. Are you a virus?"

The female voice seemed to laugh. I'm not a virus, she assured. I'm Sammy, or Sam, if you prefer. Kally Carmichael created me.

Understanding hit the robot like a power surge. "I did not know you were capable of interfacing in this manner. Are you the artificial intelligence Kally mentioned three and a half days ago?"

I am.

Baymax tilted his head. Part of him wondered how JARVIS might see this activity, as he was communicating internally and not externally. Perhaps the AI butler merely thought he was going through some kind of self-diagnostic protocol or something. "I do not recall detecting you entering my system."

Sorry about that. Kally created me to be able to hop from device to device. You were just the closest and best option when she was taken. I didn't believe hopping into a device of one of her kidnappers helpful in finding her later. There was something wrong with their devices anyway. That and Mr. Stark's device was already occupied.

Sammy made a good point, Baymax had to concede. He had detected Hiro's phone in Tony's pocket after they'd returned, though he hadn't commented on it. (Hiro did have a lot on his phone, which limited its open memory, which negated that option.) This meant that whoever had taken the two of them still likely had Kally's cell phone as well. If there was a way to trace that, they could use that to their advantage.

I already tried that, Sammy admitted, reading his thought processes. I wasn't able to interface with any database or network that could trace her phone. It's possible that whoever took her is in a place where they are cut off from the rest of the world as we know it. This would, of course, make finding them a bit more difficult. That or there is something interfering with the signal.

"You sound like your creator," Baymax commented. And it was true, now that he analyzed the word patterns. It made some semblance of sense, though it made him wonder if he sounded anything like Tadashi. A surge of color filled Baymax's internal sensors. He decided it was her version of blushing.

Kally is important to me, Sammy replied. I will do anything in my power to find her again.

Baymax nodded at that. "My team and Mr. Stark's team are doing everything they can to find them as well. And I will help them as much as I am able. Will you be helping them as well?"

I will, but in my own way, Sammy replied. Her energy signature shimmered for a moment. I would prefer if you didn't tell the others of my existence right now. Like with you and your friends, anonymity is a powerful tool. I will refrain from telling the others about your identities as well if you promise not to tell them about me.

The robot didn't see much choice in the matter and so agreed. "Please inform me of any progress you make in locating our missing friends," he requested. He got a sort of coded nod in return, hoping it meant she would.


	34. Something Very Unusual

The med lab looked just as sterile as a morgue. Ms. Kendrick remembered the chemical smells like they were her favorite perfume. It was familiar and brought back memories of her "rescue". She breathed in the scent like a dying man who'd just found an oasis in the desert.

A heart monitor beat out a consistent cadence in the background. And there, on the stiff white bed, lay Hiro Hamada. His gash had a new bandage over the top of it. And someone had inserted what looked like a feeding tube through his nasal cavity.

Despite his age, the teen looked small and gangly. His overall skin tone still looked pale, even with the slow drip of saline hanging from a pole into his arm. Ms. Kendrick contemplated the youth, waiting for the doctor to come out of whatever corner he was hiding in.

"Ah, Ms. Kendrick," Dr. Bosch greeted as he came from a back room. "I didn't hear you come in." He indicated for her to precede him into his office while a medic came to check on their patient.

Ms. Kendrick took the hint and moved ahead, choosing to stand instead of sit in the cozy office. She waited while Dr. Bosch entered the space and turned on a large monitor. "I hope you have an update on our young guest," she said as she watched him adjust something on the screen.

"Our guest gave himself quite the knock out," Dr. Bosch reported in a somewhat dry tone. "But, as you can see, his little accident didn't result in any damage to the skull. No internal bleeding either, which is good." He indicated the x-ray now on the screen. "I did note, however, extreme dehydration and malnutrition, along with sleep deprivation. I hope you're not responsible for that."

The woman gave him a withering look. "You know I wouldn't compromise our mission with stupid tactics like that. No, they are entirely self-inflicted. My guess is they are his way of protesting being here."

Dr. Bosch let that slide as he called up another set of images on the monitor. "While those items are concerning, I did want to point something else out to you that I found particularly strange. The image on the right is an MRI of an average human brain while conscious." He indicated desired image with one hand. "And the one next to it is one of an unconscious brain."

The two images were decidedly different, the one on the right showing more activity than the one on the left. Ms. Kendrick pulled out a pair of reading glasses to be sure she didn't miss any details. She frowned at the image, not sure where the doctor was going with this. Her glasses slid down her nose as she glanced back at the medical professional. "And the point of this is?"

"This," Dr. Bosch said as he called up another image of a brain scan, only this one was lit up like a Christmas tree. "This is Hiro Hamada's brain. Even in an unconscious, injured state, his brain is operating at a capacity unheard of in modern medicine. At least for anyone who could be considered normal. Put in the fact that he's severely malnourished to the point his body is eating away at the muscle, this should not be happening."

That explained the feeding tube, Ms. Kendrick mused. Not entirely surprising considering all she'd heard and seen so far. "And how do you account for that abnormal activity?" she asked as she pointed at the monitor, not sure what to make of it either.

Dr. Bosch shook his head. "All I know is there is something very unusual about this young man. I've detected low levels of an unknown energy type coming from his body. The closest thing we have to any of it is the energy harnessed from the teseract, which is why I've decided to sequence his DNA."

That caused some surprise as Ms. Kendrick's brows rose. "Are you suggesting some kind of mutation?" Was that why Hiro had such a high IQ and innate genius? And yet nothing she'd researched about his history could shed any light on this unusual phenomenon. "Any idea what may have caused this?"

They'd done experiments on others before, trying to create a higher strain of human, which had resulted in mostly failures. There were a few successes, however, such as the twins who'd practically given themselves over to Ultron. Boy was he glad not to be on that project. Had someone done something similar to this boy, even if by force? But, again, there was no evidence of anything like that.

Dr. Bosch shook his head. "It could be from a naturally occurring pocket of radiation near his home, maybe some fallout from the Battle of New York or similar. Or even an experiment gone wrong, though I have seen no evidence of anything related to that in his medical history. To be honest, I have absolutely no idea. And until I get back all the test results, I don't even care to speculate."

At that moment, a loud scream came from the main room and an alarm went off. Dr. Bosch pushed past Ms. Kendrick to access the larger room. Several medics came out of the woodwork at the same time. It took the woman a moment to follow.

Hiro was sitting up on the bed, his chest heaving. He yelled some unintelligible words as he tried to fight off restraining arms. One of his hands tried to remove the feeding tube while he used the other to try and swat aside those restraining him, showing more strength than he should considering his condition. "Let me go! Let me go! GoGo! Wasabi! No!"

The IV tube hung from the pole like a dead thing, the catheter dangling inches above the floor. Several leads followed after it, yanked free from the sticky pads on his chest.

Great sobs tore from Hiro's throat as the medics seized him by the shoulders, holding his arms so he couldn't move. He tried anyway, bucking as much as the two males would let him.

"Hold him steady," Dr. Bosch instructed as he prepared a syringe. He moved forward just as Hiro managed to slip one arm free, hitting the medic who'd tried to hold him down. Dr. Bosch had to move to one side to avoid sticking himself or is colleague. "Steady now," he admonished in a calm tone as he moved around to Hiro's other side from near the teen's head where it was harder to see him.

The needle slid under Hiro's skin and released its contents directly into the teen's blood stream. It began to take effect almost immediately. Hiro's motions became less pronounced, his body relaxing against his will. Great hiccups replaced the sobs as his eyes slid closed once more.

Sure the drug had taken full effect, the two medics released the teen, flexing stiff fingers. Red marks shown on Hiro's skin from their rough handling. One medic bent to retrieve the leads and catheter while the other bandaged over the original puncture mark for the IV line, which had dripped blood onto the bed linens.

Dr. Bosch let out a heavy sigh as he disposed of the used needle. "It would seem we've managed to trigger what could only be called PTSD," he mused. "I'm willing to surmise hospitals may be a trigger." He mentally went over the medical files for anything that might have caused this, zoning in on an incident when Hiro was three. It was when both his parents had died, and presented the only viable reason for the trigger.

Now that the crisis was over, Ms. Kendrick stepped forward once more. "He's of no use to use if you can't get this under control. We need him functional to complete his project." She watched as one of the medics replaced the catheter with a new one, only high up on the boy's arm than the previous one had been.

"My patient is currently in no condition to do much of anything," Dr. Bosch countered. "By his actions just now, there are some decided traumas in his life that are causing adverse physical, emotional, and mental symptoms. Without understanding them, there's not much I can do but keep him drugged up for his own safety. That on top of his already unstable physical condition, I can't, in good conscience, allow him to do much of anything for at least a week so he can recover."

Ms. Kendrick shook her head. "That's not good enough. He's the only one who can read the design specifications on those plans he created. He must be functional by tomorrow or it will set everything else back. And you know the higher ups will not like that."

Bosch paled just a little at that. His associate didn't bring up the upper management for any old reason. He knew they had big stakes in this project. He also knew what they did to those who failed them. "I need at least five days to get him to where you want him. And that won't bring him past anything but passably functional. His body needs time to recover or his heart will give out and then you'll have nothing."

It was Ms. Kendrick's turn to take a step back. The good doctor didn't generally use that tone with her, which told her just how severe Hiro's condition really was. "And just what do you propose to do with those five days?"

"I intend to induce a medical comma," Dr. Bosch said in a tone that brooked no arguments. "During that time, he will remain on the feeding tube to restore the lost nutrients from his body. He will be monitored most carefully for signs of complications during that time. But the prescribed window is necessary to avert continued muscle loss, including in the areas of his brain. If that's not averted, he will die, and so will all your plans."

Ms. Kendrick pursed her lip, looking more like a sullen school girl than a matured woman. "And after that? I can tell by your tone that there's more."

Dr. Bosch ran a hand through his hair. "He will have to be closely monitored until he has made a full recovery, which means someone will have to remain by his side at all times when he is reintroduced to the lab. This is required not only to monitor his physical health, but his mental health as well. With PTSD, one can never be sure how it will affect everything. That and his body mass will still be greatly reduced from what is normal for him, undoubtedly leaving him physically weak. He will have to take frequent breaks and not be pushed too hard; otherwise he will relapse, with the potential of death."

A sigh escaped Ms. Kendrick's lips. "Very well. I will inform the others of your concerns and grant you the five days, but no more than five days. And while you're at it, do try to figure out what it is that makes this boy tick. He's obviously not typical. I'm sure that will help remedy the impatience of our superiors." She didn't pause to hear any protests. Instead, she turned and left the room.

Dr. Bosch watched he leave with a heavy heart. Chances were good they'd find something abnormal with the boy's DNA. Well, not necessarily abnormal, but unusual. And if that were so, the upper ups would likely try to use that to their advantage. A human who's DNA had mutated to a super state without aide of the teseract? They'd be chomping at the bit to exploit that.

* * *

Kally stared up at the darkened ceiling above her. Her cell was never totally dark. She just wasn't sure if it was for security reasons or not.

Her program was coming along, though not as quickly as her task masters would have liked. She had the basic foundation for it. It was also a lot more complex than her expo project. And while she could have copied the general outline of Sammy's programming, she didn't want to. It somehow polluted the original in her mind. So she had started completely from scratch, doing her best to make it nothing like anything she'd made before.

And then there was figuring out how to sabotage the whole thing without letting out what she was doing. She'd toyed with several ideas, down to installing a virus or other Trojan into the basic coding. But if they had someone checking her work, she knew they'd find it, unless she was very careful.

Breathing deeply, Kally closed her eyes. It was time to try and get some sleep. If she didn't, her mind wouldn't be sharp enough to find a way to sabotage the project while still seeming to finish it. She had a long way to go, it was true, but it would be easier to build in a fault sooner than later, while it could still get lost in the code. She continued to breathe in and out slowly, trying to bring herself into that desired unconscious state.

_I was wondering when you would let your mind rest_ , a familiar voice said in her mind. _You have been far too worried about unnecessary things to see what you must see._

Kally resisted the urge to open her eyes, her body feeling heavy and immobile. It was a state she achieved every now and again. And it had been some time since she'd last entered such a state that it took her a moment to recognize it. Despite that, no two times were the same and she couldn't help but be confused by the man present. "Professor Othin? What are you doing in my dreams?"

The world around her seemed to melt into a landscape of clouds endlessly reflected in a still expanse of water. And standing in the middle was Professor Othin, though she had no idea why he was there. He didn't so much as move, his hands clasped behind his back, white hair pulled back from his face with what could only be called a leather thong. And there was the usual patch over his one eye. But is clothes were different, more rugged, more Norse in nature. Why did he look like a Viking?

_Am I in your dreams? Or are you in mine? It matters not which it is, so long as we both listen and learn from the experience. And I have had to remind you before to be more aware of your surroundings. Remember what happened the day you received your invitation to the student expo?_

Kally had to think back on that. Several long weeks had passed since then. And then it came back to her. "I found the smallest of flaws in the code you set up when no one else did," she answered, her eyes going wide in her dream state.

_Subtly is a gift. You must decide what would be the most effective means to use that to your advantage. Also, remember that all things must come to an end. Programs only know what there are programmed to do. An artificial intelligence will live forever, unless they are told otherwise._

That got Kally thinking as the image of her professor faded away. What he'd said was true. Basically all programmers coded their AIs to live indefinitely, almost by default. Just like Hiro's friends had hinted at Baymax's relationship with Hiro. Baymax would never age, but Hiro would. Baymax might grow in his capacities, but he would not technically age. He didn't have a set time of death, or would it occur to him to think about an expiration date. He would just keep going until whatever held him together decayed. It just didn't occur to most programmers to add some kind of code that would eventually end the program.

Was that the answer then? Give the program a pre-determined death date? If she coded in a time limit on its functions, would that be enough? Maybe. But hadn't the professor also said something about being subtle? And hadn't that brought images of that one small character that was out of place from that one class? It wouldn't have caused damage from the get-go, but it would have acted like a poison pill to the program down the line. Was that what she needed to do? Program a "death" date and add in a subtle touch of something that would ensure its overall failure?

The next question, however, was what could she use to do that? What character could be powerful enough to ensure it would fail? Images of various runes filled her mind. Could one of them do what she wanted? Would that be enough to stop whoever these people were? She would have to think about this carefully before doing anything, but it was possible. She still didn't know many or what all they stood for.

With those thoughts in mind, Kally drifted off into a true sleep, perhaps the first she'd had since arriving at the underground base where both she and Hiro were held captive.


	35. I Hate Hospitals

The streets of San Fransokyo teemed with life as Loki strode down them. He'd decided it would be best to go during daylight hours, making himself less of a cat burglar. It wasn't so much a matter of principle as it was a matter of curiosity. And, after some research, he'd discovered where he was most likely to come in contact with some of Hiro's DNA, the Lucky Cat Café. Since he wasn't above such mundane things as a cup of coffee and a pastry, he opted to go during business hours.

The door chimed as Loki entered the building. He'd opted go in a more suitable set of clothing to the age and situation, instead of his usual Asgardian garb. And since he was more than capable of blending in, he didn't worry about mundane things such as the occasional stare from other patrons. He was pretty good looking if he did say so himself, his dark hair slicked back, a pair of glasses sticking out of the front pocket of his button-down shirt. A pair of jeans completed the guise of a scholarly sort, in black. And having his sleeves rolled up only gave hints at his musculature; something he knew would entrance the ladies as it would peg him as a "hands on" kind of man as well. That was a big plus in his experience in Midgard.

Several employees worked the café, but one stuck out to Loki as he found a seat that was out of the way, more or less. There was a woman with shorter hair, wearing jeans like he did, with one of those half aprons tied around her waist. She was actually pretty good looking, he had to admit. But, more importantly, she gave a similar feeling to the one he'd picked up from being in Hiro's assigned room at Stark Tower. This had to be his aunt, and she was walking right over to him.

"What can I get for you today?" Cass Hamada asked as she pulled out her notepad. She subconsciously tilted her hips to one side as she put pen to paper. This customer was a lot more handsome than the usual ones and she couldn't help but give him a warm smile.

Loki looked up slowly, his dark eyes flashing as he returned her smile with one he knew could melt the heart of pretty much almost any maid. "I heard you brew the best coffee in town," he replied in an almost sultry voice. "And that your pastries are sublime."

Color crept up Cass's neck at the compliment as she moved to tuck a strand of hair from her face. "I have been known to brew a mean cup of coffee," she admitted. "And all the pastries are made in-house."

"Allow me," Loki said as he courteously stood and brushed the strand of hair back for her, his fingers gently caressing her cheek. He managed to capture a few hairs as he did so, quickly tucking them into a pocket without anyone the wiser. "I was hoping you could recommend one of your pastries for me as I'm new to the area."

The color crept higher into Cass's cheeks and she looked more than a little flustered as this new customer kissed her hand. A slight giggle escaped her lips. "I'll be right back," she promised as she slid her hand from his, turning around so she could give an incredulous smile. Her shoulders hunched slightly at this interesting turn of events before she practically floated over to the counter. She hadn't felt this giddy since Hiro had brought home that one professor and his friend, Jack. And even at that, there was no real comparison. Whoever this man was, he set butterflies off in her stomach in a way she hadn't felt in years. She quickly moved into the back room to make something fresh for him.

Loki allowed a slow smile to grace his lips as he watched her reaction. He knew he had that effect on Midgardian women and it only amused him to see it now. He patted the pocket where he'd secreted the strands of her hair. It wasn't quite as good as having one of Hiro's, but if they were blood related, it would work well enough. Of course, he could choose to stay on the safe side and see if he could get up into Hiro's room. He understood this place served both as home and business for the small family. The question was did he want to play it safe or be sure there would be no mistakes. Either way, he had some time to make his decision. After all, he wasn't about to leave without that pastry and a cup of coffee.

* * *

Dr. Bosch reluctantly cut off the flow of the sedating agent he'd used to keep Hiro Hamada in a comatose state while his body tried to heal. If he had his way, he'd allow the teen at least two more days before waking him up. But he had his orders. Three days had already passed. And even though he intended to keep him on the feeding tube and IV, he still needed to see what Hiro's mental and emotional state might be before he released him back into Ms. Kendrick's care.

Part of him recoiled at the idea of letting that woman have her clutches on him once more. He knew her all too well. But, under orders, he'd run Hiro's DNA and didn't like the results. In fact he'd run it several times just to be sure. The results were the same. He'd somehow decidedly mutated from normal. And there was still no indication as to why. And he couldn't even begin to speculate on what must have happened to that boy to cause it. He knew Miss Kendrick would take full advantage of that mutation.

The closest he could come to what had happened to Hiro were the experiments they'd performed on numerous children, including his own. Except his hadn't survived. But he'd been told it was for the better cause, to offer his unborn offspring up to help create an elite group of super soldiers from perfected DNA. And here he was, holding exactly that in his hands. But at what price? On top of having Hiro functional, the upper ups expected his report on the anomalies he'd reported to Ms. Kendrick. He knew they'd practically drool over the information he had in hand about this unusual teen.

And now the woman had another bee in her bonnet with their other subject, Kally Carmichael. The girl had shown levels of concentration above and beyond expectations. Her dedication was almost frightening. And since she'd had some association with Hiro, they now wanted the good doctor to test her DNA as well. He didn't know if he wanted to ask why.

The door to the medical bay opened and two guards escorted Kally into the medical lab. Dr. Bosch noted how she paused at the sight of Hiro on the far side of the room, covered in tubes and wires. It couldn't be helped, he supposed. He'd wanted to keep Hiro in the most watched area of the facility, not just so those above him could observe events, but so he could keep an eye on him as well.

Kally's face seemed to drain of color at the sight of her friend. "What have you done to him?" she gasped. Something internal stopped her from moving forward as Dr. Bosch suspected she wanted to do. Maybe it was the presence of the shock collar around her neck, something he hadn't thought necessary but that another medic had been called to place there. That and the two guards had grabbed her on either side, though he suspected she wouldn't have any trouble breaking free of them if she really wanted to. She had that kind of look to her.

"Release her," Dr. Bosch ordered as the doors behind them slid shut. He doubted she'd make a run for it, not until she knew what was going on. Her reaction told him all he needed to know about her feelings for his other patient. He beckoned for the girl to come closer.

Almost as if she wasn't sure if this was a trap or not, Kally edged forward in a mechanical fashion. "What did you do to him?" she asked again, noting Hiro's pallor, the feeding tube, the IV line and monitors. He didn't look well.

Dr. Bosch moved to escort Kally closer to Hiro's bed, signaling for the two guards to stay near the door. He had this. "Your friend collapsed in his lab from exhaustion and malnutrition," he explained as he watched the girl. "It seems he was either on hunger strike or there were other things going on that I don't yet understand. Perhaps you could shed some light on that?"

Kally seemed to shudder inside her skin. She wasn't sure how she could help the situation and wasn't sure if she should. What reason could they have for bringing her here in the first place? Didn't they want her to finish that program? It still had a long way to go, but to interrupt her progress like this, just when she'd finally figured out a way to potentially sabotage it, that didn't bode well. And then there was Hiro. She still wasn't sure what was going on there, or if she should trust this doctor. He was one of them, after all.

"It would help your friend out if you would cooperate," Dr. Bosch continued when she seemed disinclined to answer. "When they first brought him to me, he had a severe panic attack, along with the symptoms I've already described. My only conclusion is that he's suffering from some form of PTSD." He moved to stand closer to her, turning to look more at Hiro. "Now, Ms. Kendrick and her superiors want me to get him back into a functional state, but I can't do that without your help."

Out of the corner of her eye, Kally saw a medic approach with a small tray covered with instruments she wasn't sure she wanted to identify. "I somehow get the feeling you don't just want my opinion on his emotional and mental health," she stated. The medic had placed the tray to one side at this point and stood patiently waiting for something to happen, though she wasn't sure what.

Dr. Bosch gave a grim smile. "You're right," he confirmed. "It's not the only reason, though it is, perhaps, the more pressing one. You see, I've taken him off of sedation, which should wear off in the next twenty minutes. During that time, I require your indulgence in a few tests I've been ordered to give. You see, there are people who believe there is more to you than meets the eye, just like there's more to Hiro than meets the eye. You can, of course, resist, but then I'll have to have you restrained, and no one wants that."

The doctor moved to pull on some gloves while his assistant prepared something on the tray where Kally couldn't see him. She glanced back at the door only to see the two guards looking more than ready to come over and help if she didn't comply. One tapped a small device on his belt, reminding her he had the power to jolt her into compliance if necessary.

Kally let out a slight sigh. "Fine. What do you want from me?" she asked, resigned to her fate. At least for the foreseeable future, she had best do as they asked. At least until she knew more about what was going on and why. And with Hiro out of commission, it wouldn't help anyone for her to try and bust out, even if there was video evidence of her ability to do so. She doubted that innate talent would come to bear until she absolutely needed it, half Valkyrie or no. She still wasn't sure how it had manifested in the first place.

At the direction of the medic, Kally moved to sit on a padded examination table off to one side. When instructed, she presented her arm so Dr. Bosch could clean an area of her skin prior to taking blood samples. She winced as the needle for the catheter went under her skin but didn't otherwise make a sound. The doctor took four vials of blood before removing the catheter and pressing gauze to the resulting puncture wound. She watched as the medic capped and labeled each sample before taking them to some back room. "Is that all you wanted?" she finally asked, not sure what might be next. She felt a little faint when all was said and done and pressed one hand to her head to try and counter the resulting dizziness.

Dr. Bosch looked up from writing something down in time to see her press one hand to her temple. "You all right? You look a little pale. Perhaps you should lie down?" When she merely put her head between her knees, he took her wrist in one hand to check her pulse. That finished, he moved to place a blood pressure cuff on her arm. "You don't often get your blood taken, do you?" he asked as he pumped up the cuff.

Kally shook her head. "Never needed to," she confessed. "I don't like the sight of needles. They make me anxious."

That might account for her symptoms, Dr. Bosch thought, though it could also be something else. They had only fed her that supposedly nutrient rich slop most prisoners got. Chances were good it wasn't balanced enough for her needs, if what he'd heard was true. He'd have to talk to someone about that.

"I'll be okay in a minute," Kally informed him. "The last time I got stuck with a needle wasn't exactly fantastic, if you know what I mean. It's not something I care to repeat."

The doctor finished checking her blood pressure and moved to listen to her heart and lungs, asking her to sit up while he did so. He nodded as she spoke. It wasn't uncommon for people to be anxious over things like that. "I'm just going to check your nose and throat," he stated as he picked up the correct instrument to do just that. "I might as well make sure you're healthy while we wait for your friend to wake up."

Reminded of Hiro's presence, Kally couldn't help but glance over at the unconscious youth. "They're not really going to force him back into work like that, are they?" Her tone was anxious, despite her trying to hide her feelings.

"Unfortunately," Dr. Bosch responded. "I do have two more days before that happens though. And I'd like to give him the best possible advantage during those two days." He pocketed his tools. "Aside from slightly elevated blood pressure, you appear to be in good health, all things considered."

The doctor's response surprised Kally and she couldn't help but stiffen a bit. Was this a test? Or did he actually care? But wasn't he employed by their captors? Didn't that mean he had the same mindset they did? She shook the idea from her thoughts. No. She didn't think so. There was something else behind the façade of efficiency. His concern was genuine.

At that exact moment, Hiro groaned. Both Dr. Bosch and Kally looked over to see him try to flex disused and abused muscles, his face crinkling with the effort to open his eyes. He winced the moment his eyes opened just a slit and he threw a hand up to block out the light. The monitor next to him indicated his heart rate had increased. Neither Kally or the doctor needed to look at the other monitor to see that Hiro's breathing had increased as well.

"Don't let them take me," Hiro cried out with a hoarse voice. "I can't..." Then he broke out into a coughing fit that threatened to dislodge the feeding tube.

Dr. Bosch went to his patient's side. "Just try to relax," he urged as he took out his stethoscope to listen to Hiro's lungs. If he'd dislodged the feeding tube, it was possible it had irritated his lungs in one way or another, either by liquid accidentally getting in or from rubbing, though coughing was not unexpected given the circumstances.

"Tadashi! No!" Hiro shrieked as he threw up one arm to ward off the shadow above him. He panted between coughs, not able to fully catch his breath.

Fearing potential asphyxiation, Dr. Bosch quickly withdrew the feeding tube from Hiro's nose, which resulted in more coughing and some gagging from his patient. The doctor looked for Kally and motioned her forward as he tried to keep Hiro from harming himself by removing the other medical implements.

Kally slid off the examination table she'd been sitting on and slowly approached her friend. It reminded her of that initial incident outside the convention center before all this happened. Unlike that one time, he seemed unable to immediately pull himself out of whatever dream held him. She reached out one hesitant hand and took his in hers. "Hiro?" she called out, not sure if her voice would break him from the nightmare. Doubtless, his friends would do a better job at it than she could, but they weren't there. "It's okay, Hiro," she soothed like she had the day after their capture.

Hiro shuddered, Kally's touch somehow acting as an anchor. He lay back against the stiff mattress, trying to catch his breath. "Tadashi, it was so real," he choked. "It was so real." Tears leaked from the corners of his closed eyes as his pulse slowed to a more acceptable range.

"It's okay, Hiro," Kally continued at Dr. Bosch's prompting. "It's over now. You're safe." Even though she knew it was far from the truth, she tried to imbue her voice with as much sincerity as she could. "I'm here." Wasn't Tadashi the name of his brother? The one who'd died in that tragic fire several years ago, along with Professor Callaghan? He'd been one of her idols, though she'd since heard that Callaghan wasn't worth such praise.

Hiro wiped at his eyes with the hand Kally wasn't holding. "Ugh, I feel like I turned into a toddler again and Baymax stuck a feeding tube up my nose. Not pleasant. I really don't want to relive that. Can we just skip that one?"

Dr. Bosch looked confused at this statement as he continued to monitor his patient. Was this something from a dream he'd had? It was possible. It was also possible the youth was experiencing some kind of delirium due to his mental and physical exhaustion. "Hiro? I'm Dr. Bosch. Do you know where you are?"

"Am I in a hospital?" Hiro hazarded as he opened his eyes just a slit. "The guys know I really don't like hospitals. What happened? Did I fall or something? Or was it my appendix again?"

The doctor frowned at that. To his knowledge, Hiro hadn't had any trouble with his appendix, at least nothing noted on his medical history. "You fell in the lab and rendered yourself unconscious after refusing to eat or sleep for about two weeks."

"What?!" That announcement seemed to jolt Hiro so that he sat up too quickly and had to lie back down as the blood rushed from his head. "Ugh... I don't feel so good. This is worse than drowning."

Apparently Hiro still wasn't with it, Dr. Bosch noted. It didn't bode well in any sense of the word. "What do you remember happening last?" It was possible Hiro had created a secondary world in his mind to escape reality. If that were the case, chances were good he'd need more time to bring him out of it before the teen could be considered remotely useful again. His superiors would not like that at all.

Kally squeezed Hiro's hand and the teen looked down at their joined fingers. He then looked up at her face, realizing he'd encountered a potential fatal error. "Crap," he uttered. "I passed out in the lab, didn't I? I knew I should have sat down." His other hand pressed to the gauze covering his gash. The IV pulled at his arm and he looked at it. "Have I ever mentioned I hate hospitals?"

Dr. Bosch let out a sigh of relief. Apparently whatever delirium Hiro had been under was fading. That was a good sign. "That's right," he confirmed as he took out a pen light to examine Hiro's eyes. "You sustained a mild concussion but because your body was so starved for nutrients and rest, I've kept you sedated for the past three days."

"No wonder I feel like crap," Hiro responded. "I bet that didn't make Ms. Kendrick happy." He made a haphazard attempt to sit up again only to fall back against the bed. "Ugh."

One of the guards straightened from his position by the door. "We've received orders to take you back to your lab," he said, looking directly at Kally.

Kally bit the inside of her cheek as she let her hand slide away from Hiro's. Apparently they'd decided her current task was complete. That or they wanted to push her to finish the program as soon as possible. She mentally berated herself for showing her concern for Hiro so openly. She felt sure it would be used against her in the future. Without any further fuss, she moved towards the doors, hands out as if she expected to be cuffed.

Hiro tried to sit up again as he saw her leave his side. "Wait!" he called out, his voice sounding hoarse in his ears. "Wait!" His heart thudded in his ears as he tried to get off the bed.

Dr. Bosch was a little slow in preventing him from moving and only just caught the boy before he hit the floor.

"Wait!" Hiro cried out again, his head heavy. Despite that, he saw three pairs of feet leave the room, the door sliding closed behind them. The teen let out a sort of defiant scream but didn't have the strength to do anything about it as his limbs turned to jello under him. It wasn't supposed to be like this, he thought as the doctor called over one of the medics to help him get the teen back in bed.

"Don't leave me!" Hiro called out, his head pounding now. "No! NO! Come back!"

Sure this couldn't be good for his patient's overall health, Dr. Bosch pulled out a syringe he'd prepared just in case. He took off the cap with his teeth, spitting the lid to one side before slipping the needle into the IV's catheter. It didn't take long for the drug to take effect, leaving the doctor wondering if he shouldn't have left the teen in his medically induced coma for at least one more day.


	36. All Work Out

Tony dozed in his chair. It had been another long day, with nothing to show for it. Not one agent of SHIELD had come up with anything to help them find the missing teens. Part of him felt terrible keeping the others practically locked up in Stark Tower, but he knew it was for the best. But the strain had finally caught up to him and he'd nodded off, chair tilted back to a more comfortable position.

"Sir," JARVIS intoned for the umpteenth time. "Sir," he repeated louder until he was almost yelling.

Mr. Stark woke with a start, somehow managing to fall out of his chair at the same time. He did a sort of roll, coming back to his feet, looking groggy. "I'm up," he said in a semi-daze, brushing himself off. He looked around only to realize he was still the only one in the room. "Huh?"

"I was beginning to wonder if I needed to call in one of the others to wake you, sir," JARVIS said in a droll tone.

Tony shook like a wet dog, trying to get the circulation flowing. When that didn't immediately work, he went for the wet bar and poured himself a drink. "Did you need something, JARVIS?"

If the AI could have rolled his eyes, he would have. "I may have something that may be of use to your search," he announced, causing Tony to pause, his glass halfway to his lips.

Wiping his mouth, Tony set the glass down, more awake now than he had been a minute before. "Oh you do, do you? Well, let's hear it." He stood almost impatiently, hands on his hips.

JARVIS activated one of many 3D projectors in the room to bring up a recording of the student expo welcome dinner. "It took me a while to comb through all of the footage, but I believe I may have found some kind of connection."

The video began to play, showing the introduction of the various business professionals represented as sponsors for the expo. "Please pay particular attention to the table on the left," JARVIS requested as Tony heard his own remarks in the background, mainly questions from the immature audience about his love life.

Several businessmen and women sat around the table in question, including representatives from Krei Tech, Haedria Enterprises, and General Tech. While the majority of those sitting at the table seemed intent on the speaker, several pairs of eyes searched the audience, almost as if they were looking for someone specific. It was hard to tell where they were looking though. A woman sat near the two men sweeping the area, though she seemed unaware of her neighbors' actions.

"JARVIS," Tony warned, "I don't see how this has anything to do with our missing students. All I see is a couple of people scouting out the crowd. That's perfectly normal for a gathering like this." He picked up his glass and took a drink.

The image froze for a moment, as if some glitch had caught the footage before it switched to a different view. Thanks to the added security at the event, there were several different angles from which to look. "Do be patient," JARVIS intoned as the next video began playing.

The same two men who'd been scouting out the audience during Tony's question and answer period were now slowly walking around the tables. They seemed to saunter more slowly around the table where Hiro and his friends sat, with Tony and Pepper now joining them.

Tony moved around his desk to look more closely at the footage. "JARVIS, why didn't I notice these people before?" He looked more than a little unsettled to see the intent looks on the two men's faces before they quickly moved away from the immediate area. They'd stayed long enough to hear the invitation for dinner the next night.

"Yes, that was most careless of you, sir," JARVIS said. "However, I believe you may have dismissed them as they were relatively circumspect in their actions. If I had not been looking for correlations, I might not have noticed them myself. But, in hindsight, their actions are suspicious."

Mr. Stark nodded. "You got that right." He paused the video, backing it up with a motion of his hand. "Just who are those guys? And do they show up anywhere else?" He thought one looked familiar but wasn't sure.

Another video popped up next to the current one, showing the inside of the medical suite of Stark Tower. "The man on the left is the same man who tried to abduct Miss Carmichael while inside the Tower."

"What?!" Tony stared at the image like he'd seen a ghost, realizing the men were one and the same. "So who are they? What company do they belong to?"

The images disappeared. "While they were both sitting at the same table as those companies mentioned earlier, I cannot, with any confidence, discern what company they represented. They did not wear the appropriate name tags, nor did they seem to be on the guest list. Nor do they show up on any facial recognition databases."

Tony rubbed at his chin as he paced the room. "How is that even possible? They wouldn't have been allowed in without an invitation or sponsor badge. Did you check footage from all the entrances?"

"Of course," JARVIS replied dryly. "I did not match any individuals to their particular facial structures. Either they somehow managed to stay off camera or came in under false pretenses."

The billionaire paused to lean against his desk. "Disguises," he mused. It was possible. Even SHIELD used a synthetic material that could alter one's facial characteristics through some kind of holographic projection. He'd seen it used before. Hand back to his chin, he contemplated the possibilities. "JARVIS, just who was supposed to sit in the chairs those imposters took?"

"I thought you would never ask," JARVIS replied as he pulled up two images of two different men. They looked nothing like the two who had ghosted past him all that night. "The one on the right is a Mr. Gabriel Jones. The one on the left is Joseph Finch. They are both from General Tech and were seen entering the building at the main entrance. However, I did not find any evidence that they left the building the same way they came in. Also of note, neither has been since."

The wheels in Tony's head spun. "How much are you willing to bet it wasn't really Mr. Finch and Jones who entered the party? What if they were somehow detained and someone else took their places? What I'm not sure about is why those imposters would ditch the disguises and show their real faces. If they wanted to throw us off, they'd keep up the façade."

"Unless they knew we wouldn't be able to track them down from just their faces," Natasha spoke up as she stood in the doorway. "But it's still more than we had before. Who knows? Maybe they slipped up." She moved into the room, all business. "JARVIS, can you place them anywhere else associated with our missing assets?"

The images disappeared once more while the digital butler combed through the data. Now that he knew what to look for, it made things a lot easier. "I have found one occurrence at the student expo," he announced as he pulled up a still image of the other man standing in Kally Carmichael's booth. He had a clipboard in hand and seemed to be studying her research posters. "This image was captured the first day of the expo soon after the event officially opened. I believe it was assumed he was one of the judges."

Tony walked around the projection, a frown on his face. "What about any contact with Hiro?"

JARVIS once more removed the images. "I'm afraid not. I can only fathom this might be because Hiro Hamada had not yet done his presentation. It was scheduled for the day after this took place. However, he did not have time to present before events were set in motion."

Natasha watched Stark as he paced the room. "If you ask me, it sounds like they found an opportunity and used what resources they'd already had in place to set their plan in motion a little ahead of their intended schedule. Under the circumstances, I can't blame them for taking advantage of the timing."

"My thoughts exactly," JARVIS stated. "As they did not seem to care that we might be able to identify at least one of the parties responsible for the onset, I believe those behind it had things planned out in advance, with contingency plans in place should such an opportunity present itself."

Tony let out his breath in a huff. "That makes it sound like there's something bigger at stake aside from two kidnapped teen geniuses. Just what do they want them for?" He moved to sit on the edge of his desk again, arms folded. "One can only guess it has something to do with their respective fields, which means we need to keep an eye on all tech related news. Unfortunately, they haven't been gone long enough to really do much of anything. We just might be in for the long haul with this one."

Natasha nodded in grim agreement. Unfortunately, the longer this went on, the less likely it was they'd recover the missing students. And if Stark wasn't going to bring it up, neither was she. It just meant they had to find answers fast and hope for the best, though part of her wondered if it really would all work out.

* * *

It had taken some conniving, but Loki knew it would all work out. He'd managed to sneak into the upper levels of the Lucky Cat Café while Cass Hamada was busy with a little mess he'd helped create. It was all too easy, if he was being honest. A little flick of the wrist, a mumbled incantation and one of the espresso machines decided to malfunction, spouting hot water and steam into the air. It was all too easy.

And while the employees were distracted by the mini disaster, Loki had slipped up the back stairs and into the living levels of the apartment. After carefully exploring the second floor, he came to the conclusion that Cass was the one who used this area the most so he moved to the third floor. Once there, he knew he'd hit the jackpot. Not only had he found the teen's room, but there was DNA a plenty for what he had in mind. A few strands of hair from the bed would hardly be missed, leaving the god of mischief to wonder if anyone had recently cleaned the room. Judging from the state of things, he somehow doubted it.

He was back in his seat at the café before the proprietress realized he was gone, not that she'd have suspected a thing even if she had. So when she came over to apologize for the inconvenience of not being able to present him with a hot mocha, he gave her a somewhat sad smile. In compensation, however, she presented him with the pastry she'd made fresh just for him. And he was more than delighted to accept it. After leaving a generous tip, even though he hadn't been charged a dime, he left the café to find an out of the way place to perform his spell.

Figuring it would be best to use both samples he'd collected, Loki pulled out Hiro's hair and his aunt's slightly lighter strands. It had been a while since he'd last performed this kind of magic so he took a moment to breathe deeply and clear his thoughts. Then, with a complicated turn of the wrist, he threw the strands into the air, muttering under his breath the incantation.

A circle, not unlike a mirror, appeared in the air before him. At first it didn't seem to show anything outside of the area around him. But, after a moment, it moved like a movie in fast motion. After only two seconds, it stopped to show the café and Loki scowled. "Not there," he admonished and sent out another strand of Hiro's hair to overpower the influence of his aunt's DNA.

Once more, the air around him rippled as the magic took effect, scouring the vicinity before moving on to the next state over. It gradually moved even further out, briefly showing both the NYU campus and Stark Tower, places Loki knew Hiro had stayed at. It even briefly showed the safe house before following the same trail he'd tried to follow after realizing the teen and his friend had been kidnapped.

"Come on," he urged. "Keep going. Show me where they took them."

The image continued to accelerate over the course Loki knew all too well. But instead of stopping at the interstate like he'd had to, it kept going.

"Yes!" Yes!" Loki exclaimed as he pumped his fist. This was going to work. And he'd beat everyone else there, successfully "freeing" the captured Valkyrie spawn, along with her friend. He felt sure he could find some use for the robotics genius.

But then the fast-paced ride seemed to slow, hovering over a vast expanse before it suddenly snuffed out like a candle.

"No!" Loki couldn't help but look at the now empty air in disbelief. "No! You were supposed to tell me where he is!" He kicked at the closest item in a fit of sudden rage, sending the chunk of rock skittering down the back alley. He reached into his pocket to pull out more hair, only to realize there wasn't any. In total frustration, he yelled to the sky, fists clenched at his sides.

There were only two reasons for his spell to fail. At least as far as he could see. One, something somehow blocked its ability to work correctly. Or two, Hiro Hamada was no longer among the living. And since he didn't have any DNA from Kally, he might never know. But he had a really hard time believing there was something keeping his spell from doing its job.

Loki raked his hands through his hair. "After all my efforts, it comes down to this? As much as I don't care about the young whelp, he could have been useful." Then it occurred to him. Even if Hiro was no longer with the living, he'd at least been where Kally likely was. That thought calmed him a bit.

If he was not mistaken, the spell had lost shown him an area the Midgardians called Pennsylvania. Or at least close enough to count. Perhaps if he were to go and search in that area, he might get a better clue. After all, a Valkyrie couldn't just disappear without a trace. He'd find her, one way or another, soothe her troubled heart over the loss of her friend, and use her to finish his takeover of Asgard. He would never have to worry about Odin or Thor ever again.


	37. Means and Ways

Hiro felt more than a little groggy when he next woke up. Part of him couldn't help but wonder if he'd been out of it for a lot longer than he cared to admit. His head ached dully, as did the rest of him. Had he fallen? Oh yeah, he'd biffed it in the lab. He almost thought there might have been another point where he'd woken up between but couldn't be sure. But at least he didn't feel the pressure of a feeding tube going down the back of his throat. That hadn't been a pleasant dream, and was definitely not something he cared to repeat in real life. Doing it as a toddler had been bad enough.

A few blinks cleared his vision and he realized he was in some kind of medical facility. It made sense, he supposed. He had knocked himself a good one. And there was the IV pulling at his arm to prove it. Oh, and the electrodes on his chest. What were those doing there? Well, he supposed it also made sense, along with the sound of a heart monitor beating cadence with his pulse. Okay, just how badly had he biffed it?

Something moved out of the corner of his eye and he turned to look that direction. It was only at that moment that he realized his body didn't immediately want to respond to his commands. He almost felt as though he'd been immobile for years on end and had forgotten how to control his limbs. But before self-pity could come in, the movement attracted his attention once more and he made himself focus.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," Dr. Bosch greeting the moment he noticed his patient staring at him. "You've had an interesting past couple of days."

Outside of the hospital gown and the leads coming out from under it, Hiro wasn't sure what to make of that comment. Obviously more was going on than him simply bashing his head. "Thanks, I think," he rasped, wishing fervently for a glass of water. At least the end of the bed where his head rested was somewhat elevated so he didn't need to try and sit up to see the man now standing by his side.

The doctor checked the IV tubing, noting something down on a tablet he had on hand as he then glanced at the monitors. "How are you feeling? Any dizziness? Pain? Stiffness? Hunger?"

Hiro had to take a moment to evaluate himself. He didn't think he'd broken anything. There were no casts to suggest he had. The only pressure of bandage was on his head where he felt he'd probably hit into something before completely blacking out. "My head hurts a bit," he admitted. "And I'm a little thirsty." Then he tried to sit up just a little. It took more of an effort than it should. "Weak, I guess."

Dr. Bosch noted something else down before tucking the tablet under one arm. "All of which are expected. You've been in a medically induced coma for the last few days while we've pumped nutrients back into your body. You'd pretty much starved yourself into quite the state."

Okay, so maybe the feeding tube thing hadn't been a dream, Hiro decided. But if that was the case, why wasn't it there now? If he put his hand up to his face he could feel the remnants of the tape that might have held the tube in place. But there was no denying it was gone. "What...? When...?"

"I removed the feeding tube yesterday when you briefly regained consciousness, though I don't think you were mentally cognizant at the time," Bosch stated. "I wanted to wait and see how you'd feel once you truly woke up before opting to replace it. I take it you didn't care for the food provided." He waited patiently for Hiro to gather his thoughts, watching his minute reactions to everything around them, noting how they seemed slower than the day before.

The teen tried to blink away the foggy sensation behind his eyes. "It made me feel nauseous," he admitted. "Wasn't sure I could keep it down so I didn't bother. It was easy enough to forget when I was working." It was true enough. He often forgot about everything else around him when working on a project. That and the slop they'd tried to feed him really was repulsive. He supposed he could have said something about it but it hadn't occurred to him at the time. That or Hiro was simply taking his time to formulate what he wanted to say.

Dr. Bosch let out a loaded sigh. "Well, your lack of eating has left me in quite the position. Ms. Kendrick wants you functional no later than tomorrow. However, in your current condition, you're still malnourished and somewhat dehydrated. On top of which, due to your lack of appetite, your body began to eat away at your muscles, which means you're going to have some motor and focus problems. Ideally, I'd keep you on the feeding tube with carefully scheduling feedings. That would, of course, require me to reinsert the tube. Judging from you reactions yesterday, however, you're not exactly keen on that idea."

Hiro shuddered at the thought. He remembered the time he'd had one when Q's energy had reverted him back to toddler-hood all too well, and it was decidedly not something he wanted to repeat. But if they were going to keep trying to feed him that slop, it would actually be the preferable method. At least he didn't have to taste anything that way, even if it could be uncomfortable.

"And then there's the matter of your mental state," Dr. Bosch continued, cutting into Hiro's thoughts. "I would not be surprised if you didn't remember much between now and when you fell in the lab. We had to sedate you a few times when you went off the handle a bit. I take it you've experienced some traumatic events in your life and may be repressing them a bit."

Now there was a potential understatement, Hiro thought. It wasn't so much that he was trying to repress them so much as there were so many vying for his attention that he had a hard time processing them all. Sure, he'd gone and reattached all the connections and saved the universe from shattering into a million pieces, but that didn't mean he'd come to terms with each of those memories he'd had to reintegrate into his noggin. That was a lot for anyone to take in. In fact, he'd be willing to bet most people would have run screaming for the hills long before he had. As things stood, it was likely to take a good couple of years before he was able to accept it all and move on. "I guess," he hazarded, not wanting to commit to it one way or another.

Dr. Bosch didn't miss the hesitation in his voice, or the deer-in-headlights look he'd initially given him. He folded his arms across his chest, tablet still in hand. "I want to help you," he stated. "I really do, but I can't do that if you won't work with me. I can try and persuade them to provide you different meal options, but I can't promise anything there. And I can't promise you won't continue to experience things that will trigger whatever trauma you're repressing. What I can do is device a regimen to which you will need to adhere if you want to fully recover, at least physically. I'm sure neither you nor my superiors will like it, but it is what it is. However, if you can't or won't work with me on the other matters, I can't help you beyond that."

Hiro let himself sink back into the mattress, as much as it allowed, and turned his head to face away from the doctor. "Why bother? It's not like they're going to let me just sit this one out anyway. I kinda gathered they're the kind of people who will get what they want, one way or another. What's the point of even trying?"

It wasn't that he wanted to give up, but Hiro had a hard time seeing a way out of this situation. If his friends hadn't found them by now, chances were good they wouldn't. But he wasn't exactly the type to just quit either. He wanted to make Tadashi proud and he couldn't do that if he gave up. It wouldn't be so bad if the odds weren't stacked so horribly against him. Well, there were ways around that too, he supposed, but his brain didn't want to come up with anything at the moment. And he highly doubted the doctor would allow him to hang upside down to get the juices flowing. At least not for a good long while.

Dr. Bosch contemplated his patient. He held an ace up his sleeve and he knew it. The test results had come back from Kally's DNA, as well as Hiro's. They were both obviously more than just human. The extra coding in their DNA proved that. And when he'd submitted his report to the upper management, they'd barely contained their excitement, as he'd anticipated. He hadn't wanted to turn it over, but couldn't see a way around it. Even now, there were geneticists at work trying to determine if the two would make a compatible match in the hopes of making some kind of super human army. They weren't about to let either Hiro or Kally off the hook, or let them die. It might get sketchy, but they weren't going to allow that, even if it meant putting Hiro through hell first.

"Just trust me when I say it would be in your best interests to follow my instructions," Dr. Bosch stated. It was too soon to bring up that kind of thing. Hiro's psyche was still too fragile for him to bring up anything that might cause more trauma. At least not until he was stronger. "I've come up with a plan that should at least placate your taskmasters while you recover. I'm sure you'll find it agreeable in the long run. As is, I'm sure you won't have much physical stamina anyway so I'm sure the schedule will work well."

Maybe it would be better to let them think they'd beaten him, Hiro mused. They would be less likely to keep as strict an eye on him. He could gather his strength, and his wits, and figure a way out of this. Even if his friends hadn't found him yet, he knew they wouldn't give up on him. It wasn't in their nature. And, at the very least, Baymax wouldn't give up, nor would he want Hiro to either. But whoever these people were didn't need to know that. He just needed enough time to figure out a way out of this mess. So, mustering all his experience with conning other people, Hiro let his shoulders sag, a look of defeat overshadowing his face. It was easier to manage than he cared to admit. "Fine," he sighed. "I guess I don't have much choice in the matter anyway. Might as well."

The doctor nodded as he set the tablet aside. "I'll make a deal with you then," he said. "I'll talk to the others and see if I can get them to change your diet, for medical reasons, so long as you try to eat what is brought. If it becomes an issue again, I'm going to have to resort back to the feeding tube to keep you on your feet. Agreed?"

When he put it that way, Hiro knew he couldn't decline. "Sure. But if it's more of that grey slop stuff, all bets are off." He really hoped they'd at least agree to give him something more normal that actually looked like food instead of some failed science experiment.

* * *

Honey Lemon paced. She couldn't help it. With nothing they could do about the whole situation, she felt more than a little trapped. Part of her wished she had Tadashi to rely on. He'd always been good at helping her sort out problems. But that was years ago and she had the team now. Though, in a way, it just wasn't the same.

"You seem distressed," Baymax spoke up as Honey passed his location for the seventh time. He stood in the hallway, watching her go back and forth. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

It was day two back at Stark Tower and they seemed no closer to figuring out where Hiro and Kally where, or who'd taken them, than they had before. Honey paused at Baymax's question, biting her lip. Without warning, she threw herself on him for a hug. "Oh Baymax," she exclaimed. "I miss them! And I really wish there was something we could do but there isn't!"

Having gotten that off her chest, Honey pulled away, wiping a stray tear from her eye. "Sorry about that," she apologized as she straightened. "I just needed a little, you know..."

"Physical comfort?" Baymax supplied for her. "Given the circumstances, it is understandable. Do not worry. We will find Hiro. It will be all right." In their own way, each member of the team was going through what he would call the stages of grief. And just as though they'd literally lost Hiro to death, they all needed to go through those stages if they were going to get anywhere. Honey seemed further along than the others, but that wasn't entirely surprising. Well, except for maybe Fred.

Honey moved in for one more hug before pulling away once more. "Thanks, Baymax. I needed that." She moved to press her back against the wall. The others were still asleep, or so she thought. At least GoGo was still out. It was still pretty early in the morning after all. "I just can't help but wonder where they are, if they're okay. And I can't help but wish there was something more I could do."

Baymax debated. Sammy was still nestled up next to his CPU. Part of him wished to tell Honey about his guest, but he also had made a promise not to tell anyone just yet. He didn't know exactly what the AI was doing but felt sure it would help things out. "Do not worry," he said instead. "I believe something will present itself soon so we may find both Hiro and Kally."

"I hope you're right," Honey worried. "I just can't help but think something terrible has happened and that he needs us."

Baymax could only blink at that. Part of him wondered if she wasn't right. But until Sammy or one of the others came up with something, he doubted there was much he could do about it.

* * *

Kally typed away at her keyboard. Things were coming together now. She'd finally figured out how to embed one of the runes into her work as a sort of "fail safe" should she be unable to figure out how to give the darn program a death date. If it thought it was aging, it would eventually malfunction. And since she was pretty handy with her coding, she hoped no one would be the wiser before it was far too late to do anything about it.

She paused, her fingers lingering on the keyboard. Two days had passed since that doctor had taken her blood. She still wasn't sure how it was going to help Hiro. In fact, she kind of thought it didn't really have anything to do with helping his current condition at all. So, if that wasn't why they'd taken the samples, just what did they want them for?

There was decidedly something they weren't telling her, not that they probably would until they had to. She knew, aside from the relatively recent bout of allergic reactions, she was in pretty good shape. And that despite the whole slop, which had actually changed lately. It actually looked edible now, instead of like grease drippings solidified into something you were supposed to eat. In fact, they'd actually brought actual food to her the last time, now that she thought about it. That was a nice change. Maybe the doctor _had_ said something to someone.

But that still didn't explain the whole blood test stuff. She'd mulled over it that last night or two, wondering why someone would want that much blood. And then it hit her as she stared at the code on her screen. DNA. Just like computer code, a human's DNA made up and ordered the basic components of life. Had they found out she was more than just human, something she hadn't even known until just recently? And if they had, what were they going to do with it? And what did that have to do with Hiro?

Kally closed her eyes. There were means and ways to discovering the truth. She wasn't sure if she should employ those means just yet, but it might need to happen sooner than later. And even if she could make her way back to the medical areas of the building, there was no way she would be able to do so without some kind of escort. She'd seen the cameras everywhere. They'd know what she was up to, unless she somehow managed to be circumspect about it. That, of course, required someone else to play along, and she wasn't sure if even Hiro knew why they were so interested in her DNA. For all she knew, they were interested in his as well.

She'd heard and read stories of geneticists trying to create the "perfect" gene. Well, Hiro had uncanny intelligence. She did too, for that matter. But she somehow felt there was more to it than that. They could have gone after any old genius for that. But then there was the fact that she was half Valkyrie, which was bound to make her genes more unusual than most people's.

And then there were all the weird things with Hiro. Kally had gotten the gist that he'd been through a lot. Losing parents and siblings did that to a person. But she couldn't help but think there was a lot more to it than just that. There was obviously a lot they didn't know about each other. From what she understood, most people, even with a few tragic deaths under their belts, didn't behave like that. No, there had to be something else going on. She just wished she knew what.

This was getting her nowhere, Kally thought. She was starting to think in circles, which threatened to make her dizzy. So she leaned back against the chair, eyes still closed. If her overseers knew her thoughts weren't on the task at hand, they'd probably get mad, but she didn't care. Figuring this out was more important. Maybe not as important as finding a way out of this place, but still pretty high on the priority list.

Kally had gotten some semblance of an inkling that not everything was as it seemed. That same sense that had told her the latitude and longitude of where she'd gone when they'd taken her to see Hiro that first time said something was wrong. Three odd weeks had passed, but she somehow felt that wasn't right. If she pushed her blossoming senses further out, she came up against some kind of barrier that prevented her from going any further. It was almost like they were inside a bubble, which didn't bode well at all. If they were in some kind of bubble, tucked out of sight, how were they going to escape it?

All this thinking was making her head hurt. She hadn't had a migraine in some time, though they weren't uncommon. Her dad used to get migraines as well. She supposed she'd inherited that trait from him. And, in a way, it made no sense that she hadn't had one recently, until now. If she kept thinking in circles, it would bloom into a full-blown migraine and she wasn't sure if she wanted that. They always made her feel sick. Then again, it might be exactly what she needed to have happen at the moment.


	38. Migraine

Hiro couldn't help but stare as Kally was practically dragged into the medical suite like some kind of corpse. He'd finally managed to walk around the area without help; something he knew was a minor achievement in comparison to everything else. He gaped at her pale and sweaty face. One thing for sure, she did not look good.

"Over here," Dr. Bosch instructed as he saw the two guards bring Kally in. He indicated the same examination table he'd had her use only two days ago. Concern reflected in his eyes as he took in her pallor and pain-filled eyes. With the guards' help, he got her lying on the table, though she clutched at her head like it was going to split open. "What happened?"

The first of the two guards took a step back. "She threw up in her lab," he briefed, his face stony.

"Reports indicate atypical behavior before she began vomiting," the other guard offered.

Dr. Bosch rolled his eyes. "Yes, I can see that. Can you tell me anything helpful?" His back tensed in irritation as he turned to examine his new patient. When he flashed a light in her eyes, she cried out in pain. Well, that eliminated several different possibilities.

"She seemed faint before it happened," the first guard admitted. "She was staring at the computer screen before closing her eyes and leaning back against her chair. She sat that way for about ten minutes before pushing away from the work desk and and then threw up violently on the floor."

When Kally groaned in misery, Hiro couldn't help but empathize with her. From what they'd described, he could come up with a few possibilities. Neither of them sounded pleasant, though definitely not life threatening. Realizing he'd been standing in the same spot for several minutes now, Hiro found his knees shaking a bit. He reached for the nearest chair, which happened to be a wheeled stool, and sat down. The doctor hadn't been lying when he'd told him he'd be weak.

Dr. Bosch took Kally's vitals, noting her temperature was slightly elevated, but not to any point to draw too much concern. Her blood pressure, on the other hand, was higher than it should be, as was her pulse and respirations. "Thank you," he said, realizing the two guards were still there. "You may leave now."

"Can you turn off the lights, please?" Kally whimpered. Her plan had gone a little too well and the light only seemed to make the pain worse. It had been a long time since she'd last purposely called on a migraine. It was something she'd learned to do as a child when she wanted to get of doing something, like going to school. Once a headache manifested, the rest was fairly easy if she focused on it, especially since she always seemed to be in a constant state of stress.

The doctor complied, dimming the lights nearest her. He knew the cameras wouldn't be effected by the change so didn't worry about what certain people might say. He took his best medical stance, arms folded as he evaluated his patient. "You have a history of severe migraines," he stated. It was in her medical history, after all. And all the symptoms matched.

Kally grimaced. She'd really overdone it this time. Chances were good this one would last quite a while. "Yeah," she managed as she curled into fetal position, her back against the wall, hands still pressing against her head. "It's genetic."

"Hmm." Dr. Bosch frowned as he called up her medical history. He knew migraines could be debilitating, though the timing was certainly interesting. But, all things considered, it probably wasn't unexpected. Her medical history indicated her migraines may have been triggered by an overload of stress. At least one neurologist had noted that as a possible trigger. There were, unfortunately, no records for medications prescribed to treat them.

Hiro wobbled his way over. He'd had a little rest while watching things unfold. He'd only ever had the one migraine in one of his repeating timelines so he had some idea of what she might be going through. By the time he'd made it over to her side of the room, however, he was panting and had to lean against something. This totally sucked, like when he'd had the appendix episode. Totally not cool.

Hearing Hiro all but wheezing, Dr. Bosch went to move the same stool he'd used earlier to the teen's side. "You might want to sit down for a while," he advised. Sure the boy was situated, he returned to the problem at hand. "Just how have you treated your migraines in the past? Your medical history is pretty blank on that end."

Kally winced at the unintentionally loud tone the doctor used. Even the vibration of moving hurt. Now why had she gone and gotten herself into this situation? Oh yeah, she'd hoped to get some answers. "Sleep," she sighed. "Wait for the pain to pass." Now that she thought about it, every time she'd had one, induced or naturally occurring, had sucked. And she'd usually felt like crap for days afterwards. The price had seemed small to pay back when she was avoiding school, but now she wasn't so sure. Chances were good her overseers would be less than happy with this turn of events.

She groaned as her stomach threatened to rebel again. "I think I'm going to be sick," she announced.

Dr. Bosch reached for a small plastic basin in case she made good on her declaration. He watched her retch, not able to immediately do anything to relieve her misery. Medication usually was prescribed after certain blood tests were completed, which he hadn't thought to do. Her blood samples had been used primary for DNA sequencing. He could offer anti-nausea meds or caffeine to aide in blood vessel dilation, though caffeine was a trigger for some people. But without further tests, he didn't feel comfortable offering more than that.

With nothing else in her stomach to expel, Kally's abdominal exercises didn't last long, but they left her sweating and feeling weak. She dabbed at her mouth, eyes watering. "Ugh, I hate this." And it was the truth. She'd never liked the sensation of throwing up.

For his part, Hiro found himself focusing back on his one-time migraine as well. Of course there had been a lot more going on at the time, like the complete breakdown of his mind as he headed towards total system failure. They just hadn't known it at the time. And if it hadn't been for the Doctor's timely intervention, he might not have made it out of that loop at all. In fact, he could almost feel the exact same sensations that event had caused...

Hiro found his vision began to swim as his mind traveled back to that occurrence. His head had pounded so badly he'd wanted to smash it in with a sledge hammer. Not unlike now, if he thought about it. He knew it couldn't be real. He'd already reintegrated all of those memories. But, despite that knowledge, he couldn't help but feel himself sinking deeper into the memory.

Why was it so dark? Where was Tadashi? Wasn't he supposed to be somewhere? He lurched off the stool like a drunken man, stumbling forward in a blind haze. Where were the stairs? He should be heading down the stairs to find Tadashi. Why couldn't he find them?

Dr. Bosch turned in time to see Hiro launch himself off the stool and onto the floor, where the teen stumbled to his knees in a manner that was likely to leave bruises. The stool tipped over with the motion. He heard a drastic change in breathing as Hiro tried to navigate his way to some unknown goal. Looking at the teen's eyes suggested Hiro was no longer aware of where he was. It was something he'd seen in many before, especially those who were reliving a traumatic experience. Something obviously had to have triggered one, though he had no idea what.

Hearing the loud sound of a crash, the two guards from before reentered the room. They'd stationed themselves just outside the doors in case of trouble and immediately went on guard the moment they heard, what to them, were sounds of trouble. They went to intercept Hiro, deciding he was the immediate threat, likely thinking he was trying to escape.

"Don't touch him!" Dr. Bosch called out before they could lay a finger on the struggling teen. "He's not trying to escape. At least not from here."

Against her better judgment, Kally looked up sharply at that announcement, wishing she hadn't as her head pounded even more. What was going on with Hiro? He'd looked a bit winded when she'd first come in. She'd had enough mental acumen to notice that. But he hadn't exhibited even the potential for anything like this. Before she could contemplate further, though, she had to lay her head back against the firm padding of the examination table, hands pressed against her temples.

Hiro wheezed, his body betraying him in more ways than one. Where were the stairs? Why couldn't he find the stairs? "Ta-tadashi..." He lifted his head to try and see where he was, but his vision remained vague, his head feeling as heavy as a millstone. What was happening to him? His limbs gave out from under him and he went down, knocking his chin against the hard floor.

Dr. Bosch moved to kneel next to the youth. "Hiro, I don't know where your mind has taken you, but you need to try and focus." He refrained from laying so much as a finger on him, not sure if it would make things worse or not. Without knowing what kind of memory was triggered, he felt it best not to press anywhere he didn't have to.

Hiro reached out one hand, as if he was trying to grab something in front of him, letting out a grunt with his effort. "Why? Why Tadashi? Why?" Sobs ripped from Hiro's chest. "Help me!"

"Hiro," Dr. Bosch said more firmly. "Try to remember where you are. I don't know where you think you are but you're not there. You're here, in the medical suite at Hydra base seven."

Kally's head shot up at that, but again, she regretted it the moment she'd move. Her body convulsed into fresh spasms of pain as her stomach tried to expel everything she'd ever eaten in life. But the dropped piece of information didn't shake loose from her mind as she mentally held on to it like a lifeline. She knew she knew that name and she wasn't about to let it go. She just couldn't immediately understand why she knew it.

Hiro continued to stare ahead, his mind fighting with itself. On one hand, he could totally see himself in his room, desperately trying to reach the stairs and help. On the other, he could feel the cool tile of the medical suite floor, hearing Dr. Bosch's voice in his mind telling him to focus. He closed his eyes and grimaced from the pain. He knew he had to choose one or the other. And neither seemed like a good option.

_"Hiro."_

The voice was unexpected as any other in his tortured mind. "Baymax?" For the briefest of moments, Hiro felt warm vinyl picking him up and cradling him in large robotic arms.

_"There, there. It will be all right."_

"Baymax?" Hiro reached out with a trembling hand, his voice just as unsteady. "Is that you, buddy?"

Regardless of whether he was hearing things or not, the voice steadied him. He could feel his chest loosen as his breathing returned to a more normal pace, along with his heart rate. Part of him knew this couldn't be real, though the majority of his mind shrugged that notion aside.

_"Do not worry, Hiro. We will find you. It will be all right."_

Dr. Bosch watched as Hiro somehow managed to calm himself. The fact that he'd called out to some entity he didn't know about was interesting, but if this Baymax somehow acted as his anchor, he wasn't going to question it. At least not for the moment. Figuring the worst was over, he moved in to help Hiro back into an upright position. And when Hiro didn't veer away from his touch, he gently helped him to his feet so he could direct him back to the bed. "That's it," he encouraged. "Easy does it." The youth was all but limp in his hands.

By the time Dr. Bosch had gotten Hiro back onto the stiff mattress, the two guards had moved back to the door. They stood to attention as it slid open and Ms. Kendrick strode in, a scowl on her face. "Just what, exactly, is going on in here?" she demanded, noting the doctor pulling the sheets back over Hiro's body. The youth had drifted off to sleep the moment his head touched the flat pillow, though he kept murmuring something so low no one could hear him.

Dr. Bosch acknowledged Ms. Kendrick's presence with a nod of his head. "As you can see," he indicated the room with one sweeping gesture, "I have the situation under control. I don't recall asking for you to come down."

Ms. Kendrick resisted the urge to tap her foot, arms stiff at her sides, back tense. "I didn't ask if you'd called for me. I asked what was going on." The fact that two of her charges were in the med lab was disconcerting enough. The fact that Hiro Hamada seemed in no better condition than the last time she'd entered the room was even more so.

There was no hiding it as Kally continued to retch into the small basin they'd given her. "Kally Carmichael is suffering from a severe migraine, probably induced by the constant stress she's been under. Hiro Hamada just experienced a triggered flashback to some unknown trauma and is recovering from it. As I said, I have everything under control. Your shouting will not help the situation so would you please lower your voice?"

The woman looked more than a little taken aback. It had been some time since someone of equal or lesser rank than her had taken that tone. "I came for your report," she warned in a modulated tone.

Ah yes, Dr. Bosch thought, recalling why he put up with that woman. He glanced quickly at his two patients to make sure they were at least stable for the moment. He'd have to reattach the leads to Hiro's chest, but he could do that in a moment. "This way," he indicated, heading for his office. "My associates are still working on determining the compatibility between those two's DNA, but I have the basic report on Ms. Carmichael."

The door shut to the doctor's inner office, cutting off anything else Kally might overhear. Her last bit of retching was a little less real than the other times, though it left her no less exhausted for it. However, she'd been coherent enough to catch the mention of her DNA and compatibility. She could only assume Dr. Bosch meant her compatibility with Hiro, as he was the only other one she knew of who was under the doctor's current care. And if that were the case, it confirmed some of her suspicions, though she still had no idea why they'd be so adamant about their potential match. Hopefully, given some time, she'd figure it out.


	39. I'm Worried

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early chapter due to Earth Day, simply because I can.

GoGo blew and popped a gum bubble as she stared at one of the televisions provided for their entertainment. There was a gym as well, but she hadn't felt much like exerting herself. At least not with the materials at hand. She didn't dare bring out her iconic skates, knowing it would give rise to anyone who "checked in" as to who exactly they were. And she definitely didn't want that. So she stared at the curved screen with disinterested eyes, one hand under her chin.

Fred sat next to her on the soft leather sofa, slouching down about as far as he could go. He looked just as bored as she did. Without a comic book at hand, he didn't feel like he had much to do either. "I'm so bored!" he complained. This was definitely not what he'd had in mind when he'd told the others where they'd be staying while in New York. He'd really hoped to get in some sightseeing, knowing that wasn't likely to happen given their current circumstances.

GoGo nodded briefly to agree with him. She wasn't about to verbally admit it. This waiting around for something to happen was for the birds. They should be out doing something, anything.

At that moment, Tony Stark entered the room. He pulled up short to see the two students practically oozing boredom. "Morning," he greeting almost uncertainly. "You seem out of sorts today. What's going on?"

Fred wormed as best as he could to his feet so he could face his friend on the same level. "Tony, my man, I gotta tell you this all kind of sucks. I mean I get we can't exactly do much about Hiro and Kally but being stuck up in your tower is also kinda just not cool either. Know what I mean? We're all going more than a little stir crazy, even with all the cool stuff we can do."

"Feels like a prison," GoGo said under her breath. "I mean if they're going to try and take another one of us, wouldn't they have already tried?" She chewed her gum furiously as she waited for an answer.

Tony seemed a bit taken aback by both their comments and paused to scratch at his head. "You know it's not that simple," he hedged. While it was true no one else had made any attempts to take another member of the San Fransokyo party, there was always the chance opportunity had prevented whoever had taken the original two from finishing the job. "It's not my call."

"Not your call?" GoGo protested as she moved to glare at him. She had to stand on tiptoes a bit to be at his eye level as she folded her arms across her chest. "Okay, if you're not in charge, than who is? You can't keep us here against our will and you know it. We have rights. We're all legal adults here. What's to stop us from marching out of here right now?"

Fred looked more than a little worried at the direction this was going and he put out a hesitant hand. "Um... GoGo... Are you sure you should be threatening those kinds of things?"

She turned her glare on him. "This is all a bunch of bull and you know it," she complained. "So maybe we can't help find Hiro and Kally. You could at least let us out of the house once in a while. We're not criminals and we can take care of ourselves."

Thor came in during her little tirade, looking somewhat confused. "What is going on? I heard raised voices." He looked from Tony to GoGo, who was bristling with pent up energy.

Tony tried to wave it all aside. "Nothing. The natives are just getting a bit restless." He went to turn off the TV that no one was watching anymore anyway. "You know it's not safe out there. At least not for you guys. We can't risk—"

"Can't risk?" GoGo stared in disbelief. "Do you even hear yourself? If we decide to go out for a little sightseeing, we're the ones taking the risk, not you. And who knows, maybe we'll find something _you_ missed!"

Wasabi and Honey Lemon entered the room, followed closely by Baymax. "We heard you yelling," Honey admitted when GoGo turned her way. "What's going on?" She looked a little nervous, perhaps because the situation seemed more than a little out of hand.

Fred moved to part the space between Stark and GoGo. "Not much. It's just we're bored and going more than a little stir crazy and Tony here doesn't think it would be a good idea to let us go out and about to do a little sightseeing. It's no big deal."

GoGo mashed her gum even more, almost grinding her teeth. "No big deal? Yeah right! They can't treat us like this! There are conventions for this kind of thing!"

Wasabi put up a placating hand, cringing a bit when GoGo turned her full ire on him. "Look, I know we're all going a little stir crazy here, but that's no reason to get so upset," he tried to reason. "I'm sure there's a reason for all this and if we just calm down we can come to some kind of peaceful solution."

"It would be nice to go outside for a while," Honey admitted thoughtfully. "I really hoped to see some of the sights while we were here." She looked a bit wistfully towards the wall of windows facing the city.

Baymax blinked, taking in the emotional and mental states of all his friends. "Prolonged confinement can produce unwanted side effects," he reasoned. "Perhaps we can reach some kind of compromise."

Thor contemplated what he'd just seen and heard, one hand on his chin. "It would seem to me that our friends are feeling more than a little out of sorts. It would do them good to let them feel the sun on their faces, even if for a brief moment. If it's a matter of worrying they might be taken as well, I can go with them as a protector. What do you say, old friend?" He turned the full intensity of his stare on Tony.

Tony looked a bit incredulous at Thor's offer. The man would stand out like a sore thumb. Everyone knew what he looked like. On the other hand, that also meant they knew what he was capable of doing. It wasn't like he couldn't try to blend in. That and they all made a good point. He just wasn't willing to admit it, not after two innocent teens had slipped through his incapable fingers. He wasn't about to let that happen again.

Fred bounced up and down on his toes a bit, fingers crossed as he gave Tony a half pleading smile. "Please! Please! Please! We promise to be good!"

GoGo gave him a raised eyebrow but didn't comment. It looked like Stark might be caving and she didn't want to ruin it by saying anything.

"Tony," Thor said, reaching out to pull the man closer so he could put one arm over his shoulder. "They are still but children and need room to run and grow. We cannot keep them confined indefinitely, threat or no. Even on Asgard, the people are given a choice to fight or wait in hiding."

Stark rolled his eyes as he let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. They can go. But you're to stay by their side at all times. And I'm assigning a group of bodyguards to stand watch from a distance, just in case trouble does decide to call."

"You are a true friend," Thor smiled as he turned to give the man a sort of one-sided hug. "You will not regret it."

Still trying to assert some authority on the situation, Tony gave the Big Heroes as stern a look as he could muster. "You are to stick to the more open areas and listen to Thor, understood? I don't want to hear you got kidnapped just because I had a change of heart, you hear?"

Honey ran up to him and give him a kiss on the cheek before just as quickly dashing away. "Thank you!"

Wasabi shook his head, not sure if anything good would come from this. But he was more than willing to head out of the Tower for a while. Maybe they could finally talk where JARVIS wouldn't hear them.

"I request that I be allowed to accompany you," Baymax announced as he took in the improved state of all in the room, minus one slightly grumpy Avenger.

Tony shook his head at that, throwing his arms wide to emphasize his thoughts on the matter. "Absolutely not! Do you have any idea how many people out there would love to get their hands on something like you? We can't risk it."

Honey Lemon seemed to realize there was more to Baymax's request than just wanting to accompany them. "Maybe not," she spoke up once more. "But he is a part of our group and it's all or none." She glanced quickly at her friends to see if they were in agreement. She hoped they were.

"That's right," Fred asserted, thrusting his chest out, ignoring the pinging of his wound. "I know we didn't take him out and about for the student expo, but it was more likely someone would try to steal his designs there. It's not as likely if we stay away from those kinds of areas. Besides, we don't think of Baymax as a robot. Like Honey said, he's one of us and we're a team. That and Hiro did build in a few anti-theft protocols."

Mr. Stark pursed his lips. "Oh he did, did he? And what would Hiro do if those protocols failed? I know he relies a lot on you," he faced Baymax.

Baymax calmly blinked at the irate man. "I will be careful," he stated. "My friends will not allow another individual to steal me."

"What he said," GoGo interrupted, picking up on the subtle nod Honey had. "And with Thor there, we should be good. It's not like anyone can just run over and steal his program with a simple card swipe. Hiro made sure of that when he did the last upgrade."

Tony scowled. There was no other way of describing his facial expression, though it looked like he might start grinding his teeth at any moment.

"Oh let them have their toy," Thor exclaimed. "What harm could it pose?"

"I am not a toy," Baymax interrupted. "I am a robot."

Stretching to his full height, body bristling with his displeasure, Tony nodded on. "Fine. But if something does happen, you have only yourselves to blame for it. I won't search all of kingdom come for a robot just because you wanted to let it out for some fresh air. Against my better judgment I might add."

Fred gave Tony a pat on the back. "Don't worry. We'll be careful." He then turned to his friends, giving out fist bumps, including to Baymax. "Okay guys, we should totally make a list of places we want to see, starting with those closest to Stark Tower."

The five Heroes exited the room, following Fred. Tony watched them leave, a headache forming behind his eyes. He rubbed at his temples. "This is not going to end well," he predicted.

Thor watched him with some amusement. "Do not worry. I will be with them every moment," he promised.

Tony let out his breath. "That's part of why I'm worried."

* * *

The migraine lasted for a full twenty-four hours. During that entire time, Kally lay in the medical suite in various levels of pain, accompanied with sensory overload. She'd definitely overdone it, she told herself for the umpteenth time. But at least she hadn't thrown up again once Ms. Kendrick had left the area. The woman hadn't looked pleased and the glare she'd sent Kally's way hadn't helped matters. But at least the doctor was firm, wanting her where he could see her, in case something else came up.

Dr. Bosch did threaten her with an IV if she didn't keep anything else down, something she was decidedly not keen on. So, through force of sheer will, she managed to calm the raging pain enough to keep the nausea at bay. Everything else just had to run its course. But at least she kept the simple food he offered down. And as an added bonus, she was able to keep an eye on Hiro, who remained out of it for the rest of the day. Kally noticed Dr. Bosch reattached his IV tubing, realizing they'd never actually removed the catheter while he'd been wandering around the room. And, after a few meds prescribed on her behalf, pills not shots, Kally was able to sleep through most of the night as well.

When she woke up, however, she didn't expect to hear Hiro greet her, albeit in a somewhat weak voice. "Morning sunshine." She could hear the smile in his voice and tried not to wince from residual pain.

Hiro was smiling at her from across the room, where he was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. He no longer wore the customary gown, but was back in decent clothes. Instead of the green jumpsuit, however, he was wearing white scrubs sized down to fit his small frame. He looked more gangly than ever and still a bit pale behind his usually tan-colored skin. The white of his clothes threatened to wash out all his color while making his hair seem even darker than usual, like one of those ghosts from a horror movie.

Kally uncurled from her position on the examination table. She hadn't really moved to do anything outside of take care of her bodily functions. Her eyes scrunched momentarily from the unexpected light but she sat up. "Looks like they're discharging you," she joked.

"Yeah," Hiro gave an odd kind of smile. He'd actually had a decent dream for once. He'd dreamed they'd managed to find a way out of this pit and out to where his friends could take them home. "Not quite the bill of health some would like, but they want me back in the lab. I'm just waiting for Dr. Bosch to finish outfitting me for the road."

The half Valkyrie noticed the IV catheter was still in place, even if it hasn't attached to an IV line. It did have a clamp, though, to keep anything from coming back out. They'd also removed the gauze from his forehead, along with the stitches. There was a nice thin scar where he'd hit his head against the table a week ago now, along with a now greenish brown bruise.

Almost as if he'd heard his name called, Dr. Bosch entered the room with some kind of rectangular device in hand. He also carried some kind of belt. "Okay, Hiro," the doctor said as he approached the teen, "hands up." When Hiro complied, he attached the belt around Hiro's waist, settling it so it would sit under the shirt.

A medic followed the doctor in and went to hold Hiro's shirt up so Dr. Bosch could attach the electrode pads still on Hiro's chest to wire leads that were then plugged into the rectangular box on the belt. They then added a few more to Hiro's temples and forehead. The wires trailed down under his shirt collar. Those they taped near the pads so they wouldn't be pulled free should Hiro move unexpectedly, or get in the way of his field of vision. Kally watched in fascination. She'd heard of these devices before. They were essentially portable EKG and EEG machines that transmitted their data to a central area for monitoring. The good doctor wasn't taking any chances.

Hiro shuddered at the cold touch of the machine, waiting patiently for them to finish whatever it was they were doing. His body would warm it all up soon enough, but, for now, it was a little chilly. He winked slyly at Kally while the two medical personnel weren't looking.

Finished with their ministrations, Dr. Bosch dismissed the medic as he pulled Hiro's shirt down to cover the whole ensemble. "I'm just going to go over with you the schedule we've devised to ensure your continued recovery. Ms. Kendrick and your other coworkers," he said the word ironically, "have already seen the schedule and approved it. You will be allowed to work for no more than three hours solid at any given time. After each of those three hour blocks, you will be required to ingest some form of nutrition. And no, it doesn't have to be a full meal."

The teen genius made faces at that comment, almost causing Kally to laugh. They spoke of her own disdain for the original nutritional supplements they'd tried giving the both of them.

"And it won't be the same 'slop', as you call it, as before," Dr. Bosch gave Hiro a knowing look before clearing his throat to continue. "After two blocks of working, you will rest for no less than four hours, either through natural means or sedation. That's why we've left the catheter in. If, at any time, your vital signs cause any kind of concern, any work you are doing at the time will be halted immediately to address the problem."

Hiro nodded as the doctor slipped something that looked like a finger cuff on the teen's left ring finger. It looked like some kind of thin membrane that fit like a second skin. Several small circuits showed through the wrap, indicating it was potentially some kind of medical device.

"That there," and the doctor pointed at the small sleeve, "will monitor your blood oxygen levels. If they drop too low, an alarm will sound from where it is being monitored. It will also monitor your blood sugar levels, with the same result if they should dip too low."

Kally watched, rather impressed with this. She'd never seen any technology like that before but supposed it wasn't impossible. It would certainly make any diabetic's life that much easier. Instead of having to constantly prick themselves to test blood sugar levels, they could just wear that little device and be good. Too bad it didn't seem to be available to the general public. Maybe it worked on a similar principle to what Baymax was capable of doing.

Dr. Bosch gave Hiro a stern look at this point, gently reminding him that if he failed to take in the necessary nutrients naturally, they would resort back to the feeding tube. "You will have one of my medics in the lab with you at all times to address any immediate needs. They will also make sure you don't go over the allotted times for each block. Oh, and you'll also be required to eat something after every sleep cycle. Do I make myself clear?"

Man were they being tough, Kally thought as she took it all in. Though she supposed it wasn't unwarranted. Hiro had looked like death warmed over. And he still didn't look to be in that great of shape either. Not to mention all those strange panic attacks, something she thought had to do with PTSD, as the doctor surmised earlier.

"As for you," Dr. Bosch turned to Kally, "once your symptoms have fully resided, you will be returning to your work station as well. I'll refrain from monitoring your vitals for now, so please don't make it necessary for me to do so later. I'm sure neither one of us would appreciate it." With that, he turned and left the area for some back room. The medic followed him out.

Hiro slid from the bed and made his way over to Kally. He was slower than usual, making more of an effort to reach her than was typical.

"Still not up to par?" she asked with a quirked brow. It cost her a twinge of pain but she thought it worth the effort. Chances were good that even though they were 'alone', they were still being watched. She moved to one side when he indicated he wanted to sit next to her.

A little out of breath, Hiro leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. "Could be worse," he admitted. "I've had worse before. Not that I can remember all the times. I'm told I was quite the mess when my parents died. I was three at the time. They got hit by a drunk driver while getting ready to drive us all back to the airport. I was in the car when it happened, or so Tadashi told me, strapped in my seat in the back. The drunk just rammed right into us. Sometimes I wonder if those memories leak out a bit, you know? But I really don't remember much of anything from when it happened except that it's probably why I hate hospitals. And, to be honest, I don't remember much about my parents either."

Kally found her hand had reached out for his, their fingers intertwining. "I don't really remember my mom either," she admitted. "She died bringing me into the world. My dad said she was perfect, which might be why she had to go. Then, when I was about twelve, he passed away too. I'm not really sure what he died of, some kind of cancer I think. But then you lost your brother too."

Hiro shrugged. "Yeah. He was kind of like the father-figure I never had, which kind of sucked. I mean when your older brother is also your parental figure, they can get away with a heck a lot more than you can. But there's not a day that goes by when I don't miss him." A tear slid down his cheek, curving around his nose. "Sometimes I still see the flames of the showcase fire that took him and I just lay there, helpless to do anything."

"Guess we're both broken," Kally stated softly. "Figures." Deciding now was a good time to depart some of the information she'd gathered, she leaned closer to him, her head sliding against the wall as she turned to whisper in his ear. It almost looked like she was going to give him a comforting kiss or needed to lean her head back against the wall due to fatigue. "I overheard them talking about our DNA earlier. Apparently they're trying to determine if they're compatible, though I'm not sure why."

She wasn't prepared to feel Hiro's body stiffen next to her. He turned to look at her with a bit of shock in his eyes, though he kept his voice to just below a whisper. "They're messing with our DNA?"

Kally gave a subtle nod. "Sure sounds like it," she whispered back.

Hiro removed his fingers from hers, balling them up into a fist instead. "We can't let that happen," he stated just loud enough for her to hear, his body going taut. His lips barely moved.

It was Kally's turn to look at him in confusion. "Why?" she mouthed, not sure she understood his reaction.

Hiro swallowed hard as he moved his fist to his lap. "We just can't," he replied. "Trust me on that, okay?"

He turned a pleading expression on her, eyes still watering. Kally only hoped that anyone was watching this display would equate it to their conversation about the people they'd lost. Otherwise they'd get into a lot of trouble. She nodded briefly just as the main door opened and two guards entered the room. The medic from before slid back into view from whatever room he'd been in.

The taller of the two guards stepped forward. "Hiro Hamada, you're to come with us," he stated, his expression unreadable.

Hiro took in a deep breath and then released it. After giving Kally a bit of a timid smile, he slid from the examination table and moved to stand next to the guard. He saw the medic not far behind him. "Guess it's back to the old grind," he tried to joke as he wiped at the trail of moisture on his face.

Kally returned his look with a slight wave of her fingers. "I think I'm going to lie down again," she confessed. "I still feel a little sick." She lowered herself back down on the stiff padding as the two guards escorted Hiro and the medic from the room. She couldn't help but think about his reaction to her announcement. Apparently he knew something she didn't.


	40. Through The Jungle

After some debating, the group from San Fransokyo decided they'd like to visit Central Park, mainly the end with the zoo and the Victorian Gardens amusement park. They informed Tony of their choice, just to be safe, and headed out in one of the many vans the billionaire had provided. He'd insisted, saying it would be better to have them chauffeured around than to be hijacked on the subway.

There was a little bit of confusion when they were all dropped off near the zoo, but it was quickly remedied when Fred took charge. He'd been there before and knew exactly where to go. Thor had tried to lead the way but got them lost for a few minutes. But they made it inside the gates without mishap, Fred paying for everyone, including Baymax. The attendants hadn't been sure if he counted as a "guest" or not so Fred settled the matter for them.

Honey took charge once they were all safely inside the gate. Using the map provided, she directed them around the exhibits, squealing at each of them as she snapped pictures with her phone. She even got a few of Thor as he watched them with amusement. To all outward appearances, they were just a bunch of tourists out having a good time.

After about an hour of oohing and awing at pretty much everything, and taking their dear sweet time, they found themselves in an area that was lightly peopled near the snow leopards. Baymax seemed to take more interest in the big white cats than in any of the other animals and the others let him. When Wasabi seemed inclined to keep going, Baymax turned towards him. "Please wait," he requested. "I have something important to discuss with the team."

Hearing the tone of voice Baymax used, the Big Heroes, including Thor, found a bench where they could all more comfortably gather and still be out of the way of the occasional other zoo guest. "Okay," Wasabi spoke up, arms folded across his chest. "What do you have to talk about? I'm guessing it has something to do with recent events."

GoGo looked around, realizing Thor was still with them. "Um, guys, if it's about that, is it okay to talk about it with this guy here?" She indicated the thunder god with a thumb. "I mean, no offense and all that, but you're not exactly privy to everything we are."

"I have taken into account the differences in the variables," Baymax announced. "Thor is the most likely to be understanding in regards to this information. I do not believe he will betray our confidence."

Fred nodded slowly, taking in all the information possible. "I think Baymax is right. Remember when we were trying to get information in the beginning? He was the most likely to give it us. And didn't you all get the feeling he was totally cool with our going after Hiro?"

Thor listened attentively. "Your friend has the right of it," he offered. "I do not always agree with the way Tony and the others do things. If there is anything I can do to help you recover your lost friends, I am willing to do it." He absently felt for Mjolnir, remembering he'd left it back at the Tower.

Wasabi looked around a bit nervously, waiting for a mom and her child to leave the area. "I don't know," he hedged. "I'm still not convinced this is a good idea."

"Would you be more approving if I presented information the others do not want you to hear?" Thor inquired. He looked around, just to make sure they were still relatively alone. He could see the two agents assigned them standing off at a distance, pretending to be interested in the exhibits around them. Unless they had some kind of listening device, chances were good they were too far away to hear anything.

Honey looked at each of her friends. "I think that would help," she admitted once she saw a slight nod from each of them.

Thor took that opportunity to settle himself on the only available seat on the bench. To all outwards appearances, they were simply sitting while taking in the snow leopards. "Very well. What I am about to tell you is something I overheard when we first returned to Stark Tower. It is in regards to the second safe house prepared as a decoy. You see, it would seem there is someone inside of SHIELD who has been leaking information to whoever kidnapped your friends."

Several pairs of eyes went wide at that comment. The idea that there was a leak certainly wasn't entirely new. Each remembered comments between Hill, Romanoff, and Stark while heading out of New York to the first safe house. But the way Thor talked, basically confirmed the notion that there was indeed a leak and that something really bad had happened at the other safe house, which explained why they had been told to divert to a different location. It left to question exactly who they could really trust.

"Banner, as you may be aware, went to the second safe house," Thor continued, not waiting for them to interrupt. "His team was ambushed the moment they arrived. You may have heard something of this as explanation for changing locations."

GoGo and the others nodded. "We figured as much," she admitted.

Thor gave a slight shrug, realizing this wasn't entirely knew to them. "What you may not have known is that an elite team of warrior waited at the decoy house. Thanks to Banner's transformation into the big green guy, they were able to survive the meeting. Afterwards, they went to the original safe house and found it in much the same condition. There was a second squad of soldiers ready to take out anyone who got in their way. If you had continued to that destination, chances are you and your friends would not have survived the encounter."

Honey's eyes went wider at that announcement. "I don't like the sound of that. Just who are these people?"

"They are not anyone a group of children should go up against," Thor stated as he turned his gaze from the leopards to the students around him.

GoGo rolled her eyes at his comment. "We're not children."

Wasabi gave a nervous look around. "Um, guys, I think we may have drawn some unwanted attention." He pointed to a pair of dark-clad individuals moving their way. One thing was certain, they didn't look like they belonged there, nor did they look like the two additional agents left as backup.

GoGo rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Could they be any more obvious?" She absently felt for skates on her back that weren't there, wishing she had her throwing discs while she was at it.

Fred pulled GoGo towards where the nearest exit was. "This is probably not the best place to duke things out," he reasoned. "Come on. Let's head into Central Park and hope we lose them."

The others followed him as they went back past Temperate Territory and all its animals. Luckily, the group of men they'd spotted was coming from the opposite direction and they were able to quickly marched past small families and other zoo guests without incident

"This way," Fred encouraged still holding on to GoGo's hand, despite the discomfort it caused him. He'd grabbed her hand with his on the injured side. "This leads to East Drive and the Victorian Gardens Amusement Park."

Baymax wasn't too far behind, though Thor decided it would be best to help the healthcare bot along when he reminded the others he wasn't fast. He hoisted the robot over one shoulder as if he weighed nothing, making them more of a spectacle than they'd been previously.

Wasabi resisted the urge to barrel through the crowd. When he looked behind him, he noticed the two men were following them, along with the two guards they were supposed to have as backup. He could see them calling over handheld radios, though he wasn't sure what they were saying. Something told him the two strangers weren't the only ones out there.

They finally reached the exit, having to pause for some traffic before crossing the road, and headed for the trees. "There's a nature sanctuary below the amusement park," Fred huffed as they picked up speed. He had to let go of GoGo's hand at this point to run, cradling his shoulder.

Several more men seemed to pop out of the woodwork as they ran. "I thought you said they weren't after the rest of us!" Wasabi wailed as he dashed ahead of the others.

The group thundered across a bridge, startling a number of tourists who had paused to take photos of The Pond and Central Park Lagoon.

"I suggest we keep running," Thor stated as he moved ahead of Wasabi, Baymax still flung over his shoulder. "There!" he pointed towards the next throng of overgrowth. "We may be able to lose them through there!"

After about ten minutes of running, the group had to slow down. Trees shown from all directions as the Big Heroes paused to catch their breaths. Thor seemed no worse for the venture than usual as he set Baymax down. "This is a most unexpected development," he stated as he looked around. Without some kind of radio for communication, he had no way of knowing if the men chasing them had been apprehended or not. He still didn't get modern technology and hadn't bothered to bring the radio Tony had offered.

"Who were those men?" Honey asked as she adjusted her glasses.

Out of all those assembled, GoGo was the least out of breath. "I don't know, but we probably shouldn't stay here. If someone didn't stop them, they'll just keep coming." She turned to Baymax. "Do you detect anyone in the area, Baymax?"

The robot swiveled his head from side to side, rocking a bit to turn so he could face all directions. "I am detecting several individuals coming from that direction," he announced. "I can confirm that at least two of them are from the previous group following us."

Fred found he had to agree with GoGo's sentiments. "There's a subway station on the other side of The Pond. If we can make it there, we can hopefully lose them." He glanced over at Thor to see what he thought. Out of all the group members there, Fred probably knew the city best, but Thor was assigned to guard them and keep them safe.

The thunder god seemed to debate for a moment. If Stark's people had been unable to apprehend the entire group of people after his new friends, their best bet was to retreat. "We will go for the subway," he decided. He wasn't as familiar with it as he'd like, but he knew the basics of how it worked after talks with various locals.

"I have enabled my GPS function and can guide you through the quickest way to our destination," Baymax alerted them. He pointed towards a south westerly direction. "We must go that way to go around the water. Please be careful as I detect many animals in the area and I cannot guarantee they are friendly."

GoGo looked back the way Baymax had said those men were, then towards the new direction. "We'd better get going then," she said as moved forward. She grabbed Fred's good arm, twining her fingers with his. The others were soon to follow, all hoping they would make it out of this jungle of trees and to safety before they were spotted by whoever was following them.

* * *

Things seemed to have been going well, all things considered, Ms. Kendrick mused. She'd opted to go back into real time in search of Hiro Hamada's nurse bot. The chances he would relapse appeared high and everything she'd heard suggested that the robot was the only one who could bring him out of any PTSD episode with a more than 75% success rate. That and he'd act as some kind of insurance should Hiro fail in his endeavors to create a robot suitable to their needs. They could reverse engineer the thing if need be.

So, with a whole extraction team in play, she'd left base and headed back to New York. Thanks to some spies still in place back at Stark Tower, she knew those student friends of her captives had managed to weasel some time away from the majority of their protectors. With the healthcare bot. All they had to do was keep tabs on them until her team got there so they could extract the wanted components and disable the others who stood in their way.

Her team arrived in the city in time to learn the students, along with some long-haired guardian, had decided to proceed towards the Central Park Zoo. It was a smaller zoo, as those kinds of things went, and should be easy to infiltrate. But, since it was smaller, they'd reduce the numbers inside, with others spaced outside should the target somehow slip past their net.

Somehow, those members of her team she'd sent into the zoo had been spotted. She had no idea how. And when they reported back that there were other bodyguards in the area, she ordered them to take them out in a quiet manner, hoping not to draw further attention. But the damage was done. Their target had realized there was a threat and was trying to leave the area.

It was even more unfortunate that she'd underestimated just how athletic the rest of the robot's companions were, especially the blond-haired guardian. Not only had they managed to find a way out of the zoo without being caught, but they'd managed to head into the wildlife sanctuary across the street, bypassing those she'd stationed there. Whether this was due to their bodyguard knowing there would be more people out there or not was beside the point. Now they had to comb through the jungle, in a manner of speaking, to find them again.

As a sort of precaution, Ms. Kendrick rerouted the other team members to circle the wilderness area, hoping they'd be able to catch them near the edges. Chances were good they'd try to make a break for it, knowing they couldn't hide in there all day and into the night. It was only a matter of time before they caught up with them. And catch them they would. Failure was not an option.


	41. Refused to Function

Hiro set down the screwdriver he'd been using and pushed back the swivel stool from the desk so he could stretch. His muscles pinged uncomfortably with the strain but it felt good despite that. He wasn't sure how many days had passed since going back into the lab. It might have only been one, or maybe three or more. With such a regimented schedule, it made it hard to tell. And he wasn't even sure he'd been taken back during the night or day time hours. It made things a bit confusing on that end. Not to mention he wasn't entirely sure how long he slept each time they required it.

The food had improved drastically. The portions were small though, probably because he was essentially forced to eat more often than he was used to. The first few times had included some kind of thick custard that was easy to swallow, and was probably packed with nutrients and protein. After that, they'd started adding in vegetables and rice with some kind of meat. He didn't even try to figure out what, though he thought some was beef and some chicken. None of it looked even remotely close to fast food or any other junk food, for that matter. Part of him wished they'd just give him a burger already. He felt he'd scarf that down with no problem.

And then, of course, there were the required rest periods. Not fun. He'd tried sleeping the first few times but had failed miserably. It was almost as if he dreaded dreaming and, as a result, couldn't get his brain to shut up enough to rest. That's when the medic stepped in and sedated him. At least they didn't have to stick him with a needle every time, thanks to the IV catheter, which he had to be careful not to displace despite all the tape they'd used to secure it. In fact, it was almost time for one of those rest breaks, though he wasn't looking forward to it. While the drugs kept the dreams at bay, he knew they'd leak through eventually, one way or another. It had happened at least one time he could sort of remember, back when he was still in the medical suite.

Even with all the precautions, Hiro's work came slowly. With his body still weak, he'd had to cut back a lot on what he'd hoped to get accomplished. And even though the two assistants still working with him seemed okay with the reduced work load, he knew there was someone out there who wasn't. There were a few times when he overexerted himself and had to take a few minutes to recover before continuing, but nothing major. Yet.

It had taken him a bit to get back into the swing of things. He'd felt a need to go back over all the plans he'd created so far. And modified some of them. His overseers didn't need to know he'd added an extra project to the table. And since they couldn't read his design specs, he hoped they wouldn't catch on. Hearing that they were messing with both his and Kally's DNA didn't sit well and he had to find a way to get the two of them out of there sooner than later. He couldn't wait any longer for his friends to find them and break them out.

The semi circle on the workbench seemed to wink at him as he settled back down on the stool. It was deceptively simple in design, with small circuits running the length of it. He hadn't had a chance to try any basic programming yet, but he knew he could do that with ease. He'd done this who knew how many times after all. He just had to make sure his "helpers" kept thinking it was something related to the robot that lay half finished next to it. Both still had a lot of work left in them, but he knew he'd get it eventually. He had to.

Hiro took a moment to glance over at the desk where he'd stashed his microbots that first day in the lab. To all outwards appearances, they hadn't been touched since he'd put them there. That was a relief, though he couldn't be sure someone hadn't messed with them. He'd been out for the count for a good week. Anything could have happened during that time and he'd be none the wiser for it. Too bad he couldn't replicate more of them without causing suspicion.

Not bothering to wonder what the others might think of his actions, Hiro got up from the stool and made his way over to the desk in question. It was in the opposite direction of his curtained off "rest" area, but he just wanted to make sure all was well over there. He couldn't help but feel a bit restless. His legs were a little more sure than they were a day or two ago, but his muscles were still far from back to normal. And his pace was decidedly slow as well. Since he had to walk almost the whole distance of the room, he found himself slightly out of breath when he finally arrived at his destination, which sucked. He had to get back up to full strength and fast.

There was another chair at the far desk, almost as if it waited for him and he slid into it. This whole recovery thing sucked, he decided. In fact, if he thought about it, it reminded him of that one timeline when he'd rolled down that embankment, only to essentially drown in the ocean. He'd been out of sorts for a while on that one. In fact, he'd had issues with the neural transmitter in that timeline as well, now that he thought about. Things had gone well until he'd managed to mess things up by not following the original timeline, not that he'd known what he was doing at the time. It had gotten both himself and Tadashi killed...

Something sounding like a door opening entered Hiro's thoughts as the world around him seemed to dim. He didn't see the medic walk over to the door to greet Dr. Bosch, who'd come down to check on things. Instead, he was no longer in the lab but the warehouse where Callaghan had tried to replicate his microbots. And if he turned his head, there was Callaghan over by the door, his brother in tow, a gun to Tadashi's head.

Hiro's breathing accelerated. "No." The word escaped his lips without thinking. "Tadashi, no." He felt his body tense, his heart pounding.

_Give me the transmitter, Hiro._

Without thinking, Hiro stood abruptly from the chair. "Let him go!" he exclaimed. "I'll give you whatever you want! Just let him go!"

_No, Hiro! Run!_

Not even pausing to think about where he really was, or that the sequence of events wasn't exactly the same as how they'd unfolded, Hiro obeyed his brother's order. He ran, just like he had in the original version. Or tried to run. Unfortunately, the layout of the lab was not the same as the warehouse and he charged right into one of the workstations, which probably resulted in a nasty bruise. Most of the air had escaped his lungs from the unexpected impact, but he didn't let that stop him as he tried to use the impact as a way to slingshot himself into a new direction. At least it wasn't his rib cage he'd jarred.

Something hit the ground, probably knocked loose by his ramming the station, but he didn't hear it as metal hitting the ground. Instead, it sounded like someone had fired a gun and he tried to duck out of the way to avoid the bullet. This time he ended up on the other side of another work station, ducking down behind it to hide. Footsteps sounded in his ears and he knew he couldn't stay there long. The room was only so big, with only so many hiding spots. Callaghan would find him sooner or later.

Chest heaving, Hiro made as if to look around a cement pillar, only to quickly duck back out of sight as another object was knocked off some surface while the two techs tried to reach the teen from the other side of the room. The medic and doctor weren't far behind them, though they seemed to move much slower than the other two. He didn't hear the doctor call out a warning.

Hiro let out a strangled cry as he lunged away from his hiding place, heading for a new one. He paused only for a moment, looking at his hand as if something had been knocked from it. But he jumped like a rabbit the next; almost slamming into another table in his bid to avoid what he thought was Professor Callaghan shooting at him. From there, his balance seemed more than off as he tried to correct himself, but with a still weak body, it was difficult.

The teen now felt as though he was being bounced like a pinball through what was actually a row of storage bins and tool boxes. Each blow seemed to jar him, but he knew he couldn't stop, not with Callaghan still after him. No matter how much pain he was in. He knew the man wouldn't stop. Not even when he realized Hiro no longer had the transmitter. Not until Hiro was dead. His best bet was to escape, to find help. Tadashi was counting on him.

Two shadows moved out of the corner of his eye and he skittered as far away from them as possible, with a third coming up from the other side. Using what strength he had left, he made a dive for the only opening he saw, between two work tables. Unfortunately, he didn't see the piece of robotic skeleton that had been knocked into the floor by his earlier antics. His feet found it before his brain even had a chance of catching up to what was going on and he went down with a thud, his chest slamming into the ground. He'd reached his left arm out in a last ditch effort to save himself, the one with the IV catheter stuck in it, and the result was catastrophic. Pain that seemed to thrust every ounce of air from his lungs rammed through him light a freight train. But it saved him from cracking his head against the concrete, or slamming his chest into the floor, even if the portable EEG/EKG machine jabbed into his abdominal area as he fell.

Hiro gasped, trying to regain his lost breath and couldn't. His body refused to move, despite the commands he kept sending to his limbs. The jolt was too much for his weakened muscles. He lay there, cheek to the ground, the wire leads pressing into his skin, with glazed over eyes, heart thudding like a jackhammer. Stars began to swim before his eyes, like dim Christmas lights trying to reach full power and failing. There just wasn't enough power to keep them lit.

"We need oxygen!" someone shouted, though he had no idea who. A dark figure blocked out the light from overhead, not that he really registered it. A bright light shown in his eyes and he flinched against it. "I don't think he hit his head. Eyes are constricting properly against the light." Strong hands moved to gently turn him over, though he thought he felt some kind of board being placed against his back before he was turned.

Something soft and rubbery now covered his mouth and nose, oxygen pressing its way into his airways. He dry coughed as the air hit the back of his throat. The motion made his entire body scream in agony, threatening to make him black out from the pain.

"That's it. In and out. Nice and slow," the voice continued in his ear. "Just focus on breathing. In and out. You're doing great."

Hiro close his eyes to shut out any outside sights, not that he could see anything aside from the warehouse anyway. His breaths were shallow and he knew it, but he had to ask. "T-tadashi?" he managed, his coughing slowly abating as the oxygen made its way into his lungs and bloodstream. Tears reflected in his voice though, making his throat thick. "It hurts."

"Just try not to move. We don't know what kind of damage you might have inflicted."

He couldn't have moved if he'd tried. His whole body felt heavy, not unlike that time he'd woken to being pummeled by Yama's men in a dark alley. There were some decided differences. He didn't feel like anyone was pounding the crap out of him and he knew he wasn't in an alley. That and it wasn't preceded with the notion he'd been shot. "Dizzy," he managed to get out. "So dizzy." Maybe he had been shot and just didn't know it yet.

"Let's get him back to the medical lab. I want to make sure he didn't break anything."

Whose voice was that again? Didn't he know that voice? It wasn't Tadashi's, was it? He didn't think so but couldn't be sure. His brain refused to function properly though, like there was a rift between him and reality. His head lulled to one side as whoever was there moved him to a stretcher. His body jolted slightly with the motion, despite the backboard, which didn't do his nerves any favors. He didn't remember them strapping him down so he wouldn't roll off.

* * *

Tony didn't wait for confirmation before ordering JARVIS to fire up his Iron Man suit. The kids were in trouble and needed help. "And let Natasha and the others know!" he added as the suit snapped into place around him.

"I already have," JARVIS answered as the billionaire ran for the balcony.

Iron Man didn't so much as pause as he came to the railing enclosing the balcony of Stark Tower's upper levels as he made a dive for the skyline. His thrusters activated the moment he was clear of the Tower's structure, sending him shooting up into the air. "Where are they, JARVIS?"

"Tracking them now." The AI brought up the targeting screen, a small dot off to the upper right. "This is their last known location, though I can't be sure they are still in the immediate area."

Tony adjusted his course to line up with the information at hand. It would put him at the south eastern end of Central Park, which coincided with the original plans of visiting the zoo. Apparently they hadn't gotten far yet, but considering the size of the area, it wasn't too surprising. "Give it all we've got," he ordered the AI. "We need to find them before the others do."

"Of course, sir," JARVIS agreed. "Rerouting all available power to the thrusters."

Iron Man picked up speed as the thrusters increased in power. He had to weave around the buildings in his way until he decided it would just be easier to fly above them, not to mention faster. "Please tell me you've found them," he worried.

"Tony?" Natasha's voice came over the line, linked directly through his headset.

The billionaire checked his coordinates, just to be safe, before answering. "I'm headed to Central Park right now," he reported. "You get ground support heading there as well?"

"I've deployed several units to their last known location," she responded. "Any news?"

Tony raised his brows. "Outside of initial reports of an ambush? No, not really. It's not like I expect Thor to be able to operate a radio. JARVIS, how much longer until we arrive?"

"One minute, sir."

He shook his head. "Not fast enough. You've gotta give me more power." He tried to streamline his body, arms pressed as close to his sides as possible. A low string of profanities left his mouth as he mentally beat himself up for letting those students leave the Tower.

"Let's worry about who's to blame later," Natasha interjected. "We need to focus on making sure those kids are safe."

Of course she was right, Tony had to admit. Up ahead, he saw the trees of Central Park growing in size so he started his descent. "JARVIS, can you get a lock on any of them?"

"Detecting three potential threats heading towards the nature sanctuary," he reported, bringing up the locations with little blips on the radar. "I have yet to locate the missing students."

The sound of tires screeching came over the line and Tony winced. "Was that really necessary?" he asked Natasha as he moved to intercept the closest of the three new targets.

A car door slammed in the background. "Agents down," Natasha stated from her location. Given the information JARVIS supplied, Tony knew she'd reached the zoo. And from what she'd said, the bodyguards he'd sent along with them were out for the count. "I'm heading into the Sanctuary." Her words were punctuated with the sound of foliage roughly handled.

Tony didn't have time to comment as he arrived where the first assailant was slowly stalking his way towards the tree line. "Stop right there," he ordered the man, who immediately went to run the other direction the moment Tony opened his mouth. Iron Man ground his teeth as he gave chase. This guys was already getting on his nerves.


	42. Getting Close

**Chapter Forty-Two: Getting Close  
**

The sign for the 5th Avenue Subway Station shone like a beacon as the six fugitives made their out of the trees and back to the street. They slowed down a bit to try and blend in with those walking down the sidewalks, though they continued at a pretty brisk pace. Not sure if they were still being followed or not, they made their way as quickly as they dared to the subway entrance and headed down the stairs.

Fred struggled a bit to take out his wallet but managed to get it out as they approached the kiosk. There was a bit of confusion about metro cards and whatnot, but they finally made it past the barrier to the other side. They were in luck as a train was already waiting on the platform. Not caring which direction it went, they all got on just before the doors closed.

"That was close," Honey breathed. She quickly grabbed one of the rails as the train jerked into motion, almost flinging her off her feet. The others weren't quite as lucky and were flung towards the nearest set of seats, which were thankfully empty.

Wasabi dropped down into the seat he'd hit into, letting out his breath in one long bout. "That was so not cool, guys," he exclaimed while the others situated themselves. Baymax merely grabbed onto another handy pole, effectively blocking the walkway with his size.

Finally getting used to the motion of the train, Honey moved to the only other seat available, across from the others. Several other passengers glanced their way, but most were too absorbed in whatever it was they were doing to pay them much mind. "Do you think we lost them?" she wondered as she pressed one hand to her chest.

"Approaching 57th Street," a voice announced over the loudspeaker.

GoGo looked around to try and find a transit map. "Just what train did we take anyway?" she asked when she couldn't immediately spot one.

Fred cradled his arm. His shoulder was hurting after their mad dash to the subway and he was more than ready for some kind of painkiller to dull the throbbing. "Sounds like we're heading west," he managed through the pain. "It'll curve around a bit to the south, going past the Rockefeller Center and Times Square."

"Is that where we want to go?" Honey worried as she tried to look out the window, but due to their being underground, there wasn't much to see. She braced herself as the car began to slow as it approached the next station, but since no one knew the answer to that question, they stayed on, even though a few people moved to get off from some seats further up.

Wasabi turned to look at Fred, since he had the most information on the whole location thing. "What do you think? I have absolutely no idea where we are or where we should be headed."

Thor watched them discuss without comment, but decided now was as good a time as any to assert himself as the leader of the group. "I suggest we remain on board until we are far enough away from our original location that we need not fear being followed."

Baymax turned, realizing Fred was in some distress. "Your pain levels have increased," he noted. "I recommend ingesting something to reduce the pain. It would also be wise to check your injury for further distress."

Hearing that, GoGo immediately turned to Fred, lifting his shirt so she could look at the gauze covering his wound. "Baymax is right. Looks like you've pulled at the stitches a bit." There was some red on the bandage. "Why didn't you say anything?" She resisted the urge to punch him in the shoulder as she lowered his shirt.

"Uh, we were kinda being chased at the time," Fred pointed out as the train started up once more, heading to the next stop. It could have been worse, he supposed. At least it wasn't a fresh wound, even if it still felt like it from their recent activities.

Baymax turned to reach over to Fred. "I can apply a cooling antibiotic spray," he offered but was turned down, at least for the time being. The train was deemed an inappropriate venue for such activities. That and they didn't immediately have any gauze or other bandages to replace the dirty ones.

"We are going to have to make up our minds about something soon," Fred warned. "If I remember right, this line eventually branches off. We can either keep heading down Broadway or head out on Canal Street, unless you want to get off."

GoGo tried to find a map one more time. "Is that what street we're following? I thought it followed 7th."

Assured his attentions weren't immediately needed, Baymax returned to his previous position. "While what you say is correct, once we pass the 49th Street station, our path will align with Broadway heading south. I downloaded a map of the area," he added when all eyes turned his way. "You may also like to know that I do not detect anyone in the immediate area who matched my previous scans of those following us."

Honey allowed herself to sink further back on her seat. "That's a relief," she sighed. At least one thing was going right for the moment. She sat up again as a thought struck her. "Um, do you guys think we should try contacting Mr. Stark?"

Wasabi decided to try and bring reason back to the group, now that he had his breath back. "Now hold up a minute. Don't you remember that Thor told us there's a leak somewhere? Can we really risk calling him knowing the potential of someone else overhearing us? Then what?! We'd be right back where we are now!"

A quick look around them from GoGo reminded Wasabi to keep his voice down as she glared at him. "He didn't say Stark had a leak," she reminded sharply. "That's the other guys, remember? Hey, Fred, do you have his personal phone number? Maybe we should call and let him know we're okay?"

Honey looked around a bit nervously. "I don't know, GoGo. What if Wasabi's right? They might have tapped his phone. Can we really risk it?"

The train started up again, heading down the line. It had stopped long enough to let a few more passengers off and on at the 59th Street Station.

"The day Tony Stark's phone is wire tapped without JARVIS knowing will be a real sad day," Fred pointed out.

Wasabi shook his head. "But it's not impossible. Those guys got past him, remember? And just how did they find us in the first place? We didn't tell anyone but Tony where we were going."

GoGo crossed her legs in agitation as she mashed her gum around her mouth. "I don't know! Just let me think for a minute."

Thor let them hash things out. He knew from their behavior they were frustrated, but they had to keep their wits about them. "I do not know by what means they were able to find us, but it might be wise to withhold contacting Tony at this time, until we are sure we were not followed and are in an area that is secure."

"I may have a solution to your problem," an unknown female voice spoke up from somewhere around Baymax.

All eyes turned towards the healthcare bot as they realized the sound had come from him. "Uh, Baymax, since when did you start sounding like a girl?" GoGo asked.

Baymax's face went red like he was blushing. "I did not speak," he corrected them.

"Well, if you didn't, then who did?" Honey wondered.

The screen on Baymax's belly activated and a swirl of color showed up like some kind of screen saver. "Sorry for not introducing myself earlier," the female voice spoke again. "I'm Sammy, or Sam if you prefer. I'm Kally's AI and I've been sharing space with Baymax."

All eyes went wide at that announced as they exclaimed as one. "What?!"

"It is true," Baymax confirmed. "Sam has shared space with me since Hiro and Kally were taken captive."

Wasabi waved his hands. "Whoa, back up the bus. You mean to tell me Sam was there when they were kidnapped?"

"That's correct," Sam responded. "I was stored inside Kally's phone but had to abandon ship before they left the area. I tried to track her phone but either it's been deactivated, destroyed, or is in an area where cell phone signals can't get out."

Thor stared at Baymax's belly almost as if he were transfixed, though the idea of all this technology was starting to rub off on him. "So what do you propose to do to help in our situation?" he inquired.

"I can send a message," Sam stated. "It would be easiest to send a coded message that JARVIS can translate. I have been studying him since your arrival back at Stark Tower."

Honey looked somewhat incredulous at the offer. "You can do that?"

The swirl of color changed from a light blue to pink. "Of course," Sam replied. "If I encode it correctly, no one but Mr. Stark and JARVIS should receive it. I can safely tell you they are both now out looking for you while trying to engage the threat you are running from."

"You're a lot like JARVIS, aren't you?" Honey wondered.

The colors changed to a sort of shrugging motion. "I suppose, though I don't think I'm nearly as complex as he is. He has been online a lot longer than I have and has had the opportunity to expand in ways I have yet to do so."

GoGo uncrossed her legs, starting to relax a little. "Makes sense, I guess. But before we do that, maybe we should decide where we're headed. Baymax, can you pull up a map of the subway?" She moved closer to the robot as he complied. "Huh, if we changed trains here," she pointed out the junction, "we could head back to Stark Tower."

But Thor shook his head. "I would advise against such a course. If those people who leaked our plans are still there, we would be walking right into their hands."

Wasabi nodded agreement. "There is no way I want to do that again."

A gum bubble appeared then disappeared as GoGo sucked it back in. "Okay, so we keep going then." She traced her finger down the line, keeping just north of where it split at Canary Street. "We could keep heading to Lower Manhattan. There's a basilica there that's pretty famous, if I remember right. We could hang out there for a bit. I don't think anyone would mind."

"We can transfer to a different line at Union Square Park," Baymax spoke up, zooming in on the area. "From there, it would be closer to the basilica you mentioned. The less time spent out in the open, the less likely we are to be detained. It may also throw off anyone who may still be following us."

Fred nodded at that. "Yeah, not to mention I think that station offers a free transfer over to the other line. Or we can get off at 8th and walk back up to Grace Church. That's the one you're talking about, right? It's a little closer. Me and my mom went there once. It's got a lot of nice grounds we can sit tight in, or we can go inside the sanctuary and wait there. It's actually only a couple of miles away from Stark Tower, but with all the traffic and everything, we should be out of the way enough it should be okay."

"I am for this plan of action," Thor stated with authority.

Honey couldn't help but look at her other friends. "All in favor?" Everyone raised their hands, including Baymax. "Okay, Sam, send the message."

The map of the subway lines disappeared with a swirl of color. "Will do."

* * *

Tony had just finished taking out the third guy when JARVIS announced an incoming message. "Incoming from where?" the billionaire wondered.

"Unknown," JARVIS replied. "I am decoding now."

More blips showed up on screen as JARVIS indicated possible targets. A few disappeared as other agents took them out. "Message decoded," the AI announced. "It appears to be from Fred and his friends. They report that they are currently on the subway, headed towards Grace Church, where they hope to rendezvous with you later."

The message was a bit unexpected, and he wasn't entirely sure he could actually trust it as JARVIS hadn't known where it was coming from, but it made Stark feel just a little lighter despite that potential glitch. Chances were good they'd opted to not call him directly, especially if Thor told them about the leak, which he didn't doubt had happened. "Can you verify the sender?" he asked as he jetted back into the air in search of the next closest target. He didn't want to walk into a trap.

"Attempting to do so now," JARVIS assured him.

Tony landed a hundred odd meters from his previous location, careful of the trees and wildlife, to come across another suspicious target. When the man in question looked his way, he began running for it, confirming Tony's suspicions. He made a flying leap after the man, activating his thrusters to catch up, barreling into him and knocking the man out in the process. "One more down, who knows how many more to go."

He quickly disengaged himself from the downed man, relaying the coordinates to Natasha for retrieval before heading off to the next one.

"Sir." JARVIS's tone was somewhat confused this time. "The message seems to have originated from another artificial intelligence calling itself Sam. She claims to have been programmed by one Kally Carmichael. Shall I confirm receipt of the message?"

It took Tony a moment to connect the dots. He remembered Kally mentioning working on an AI before everything went to pot. Was it one and the same? He certainly hoped so because he was about to go against everything screaming in his brain. "Yes," he replied. "And don't tell the others about this. Got it?"

"Understood sir."

* * *

Loki settled his backpack against his shoulders. If what his little scrying spell had told him was correct, he thought his best bet on locating those missing teens was probably in the Susquehanna State Forest in Pennsylvania. It had all the right requirements for concealing a secret base of operations for what had to be an elite group. He had his suspicions on who they were, though he wasn't about to put a name to them yet in case he was wrong.

While there were several roads running throughout the place, Loki figured a secret base would likely not be at the end of any of the more well-used ones. So he'd found a local map and was looking more at the ranger trails and smaller country-style roads that might lead to questionable areas. The one he'd chosen was near a river called Gravel Lick Run, how quaint. He didn't know why it was named that nor did he care, but there was a large mountain peak there he thought might be interesting. The people he was thinking about liked using nature to hide their bases and that particular area fit the bill perfectly.

He'd abandoned his borrowed vehicle on the west side of the area in question. It had a highway closer to where he wanted to go. He did have to drive over a few rough roads, but had found what looked like an abandoned ranger station where he could park it. And with a bit of the usual magic, he was more than able to disguise his features, in case those inhabiting the base recognized him. It was possible and so he didn't want to risk it.

Several hours passed as he circled the base of the mountain in question. He didn't want to rush things and risk missing something as he slowly made his way up and around. All the same, he did accelerate his traveling by looking for anything that might resemble an Asgardian signature of energy. It was his best bet. And, so far, he'd felt something similar, sort of familiar, but not exactly the same. And he knew he was getting warmer. He'd get there sooner than later, if he was any judge of circumstance.

Opting for a quick rest, Loki pulled out a flask and took a swig. Water was decidedly better for this kind of activity than any mead, but he still wished he'd brought some of the Asgardian drink with him. He couldn't help but feel a bit jittery, like some kind of vibration was coming up through his feet that shouldn't be. Was that a natural phenomenon? Somehow he doubted it. He had to be getting close.


	43. Better to Wait

Well, it could have been worse, Dr. Bosch thought as he examined the results of Hiro's Ct-scan with a sigh. But as things were, it wasn't pretty either. With Hiro's decreased body mass, due to basically having no body fat, he'd decidedly done a number on himself.

Reviewing the course of events, it made sense for the extent of the youth's injuries to be so far reaching. When the central monitor alerted him to a change in Hiro's condition, he'd been quick to respond. From his brain activity, he was likely having another episode, or about to have one. And to keep the "helpers" from doing anything that might aggravate that, he'd immediately relayed instructions that they try not to spook him, which would likely make it worse.

His precautions had seemed in vain though. The moment he'd entered the lab, Hiro had jumped around like someone was chasing him, which may have been what he saw. But when the teen rammed into the first worktable, Dr. Bosch couldn't help but wince. He'd had no time to react to that before Hiro was back on his feet, in a manner of speaking, and was ducking behind another desk as if his life depended on it. That was the sure sign he wasn't living in reality. That and his vital signs were through the roof.

Dr. Bosch had relayed instructions to the others in the room to try and surround the young man in a way that would be as non-aggressive as possible. Unfortunately, something spooked him further and Hiro practically shot himself through a stretch of different storage lockers and tool chests at varying heights. In his confused state, the teen had knocked into most of them, hitting his body against the solid metal all the way from his mid-section down. That had resulted in a lot of damage.

Believing a quicker intervention best at this point, the good doctor had requested Hiro's overseers move in and try to deter him from doing any more harm. It was unfortunate the boy had misinterpreted the gesture and made a break for it, tripping over one of the very items he'd knocked over in his bid to escape whatever mental hell he was in. The snap resulting from his fall was loud, his arm breaking on impact. But his putting his arm out had probably saved him from further internal injuries, even if the impact had knocked the wind out of him. He hadn't waited to see what else would happen before moving in to take over.

He'd gotten there in time to see the medic shining a light in the youth's eyes, though it wasn't hard to tell the boy was having difficulty breathing. He called for oxygen, realizing Hiro looked like a fish out of water. That and another alarm was sounding on his tablet, indicating Hiro's blood oxygen levels were dangerously low. From there, they'd made sure he was stable before moving him back to the medical area, heading right for the CT-Scanner and MRI machine.

The broken arm was the easiest to treat. Dr. Bosch did have to perform a mild reduction to get the bones back in place, but he doubted he'd need any pins to allow the bone to heal completely. That arm was currently in a velcroed brace until the swelling went down. He'd had to remove the catheter in that arm and insert a new one on the teen's dominant side. It wasn't ideal, generally speaking, but it had to be done.

What worried him the most was the internal bleeding he'd noted on the scans. He'd already asked the surgical staff to prepare for immediate surgery to try and fix the damage before it became worse. Most of that bleeding seemed focused on Hiro's lower torso, which made sense. His rib cage had protected his heart and lungs, a miracle he was more than happy for. Most of the damage appeared to come from either bruised or torn muscles and the smaller arteries that ran through them.

If there was one thing Dr. Bosch could say, beyond a shadow of a doubt, it would be that Hiro wasn't going to be returning to that lab any time soon. The fractures in his legs alone would insure that, but with the other damage to the surrounding muscle tissues... he was going to be out of commission for some time.

Part of him wanted to tell Ms. Kendrick he'd told her so, but she had left the building on some kind of assignment before the whole incident. It was just as well, he thought as he scrubbed up for surgery. At least they didn't need to pin any of the fractures, yet. There were a number of them up and down the boy's legs. He'd wait for the swelling to go down to be sure. The bleeding was the most important thing to fix at the moment. And even then, he'd have to allow frequent rests or Hiro's system would likely overload. It was too bad Hiro's mutated DNA didn't include supernatural healing abilities.

* * *

The five Big Heroes huddled together while Thor took the lead. Street signs were more than enough for the thunder god to find their intended location. They hadn't spoken much during the rest of the ride to their desired station. One, there were too many people in their particular car, and two, they didn't know what else to say at the moment.

It felt like an eternity had passed since they'd first gotten on the subway. In reality, no more than an hour had passed. The emotional and mental strain was more than enough to drain all but Baymax and Thor. Baymax didn't feel that kind of strain and Thor seemed born to handle that kind of thing. "We're almost there," he announced as he saw the large church ahead of them.

They followed the giant of a man like some kind of train of saints escaping persecution in a far off country. On weary feet, they made their way to the northern entrance, which was closest to their location. They then shuffled one by one into the quiet solitude of the nave and sat down on the nearest pew.

"I hope Mr. Stark has a plan," Honey sighed. Even though she was used to physical activity, she was more than ready to call it a day.

GoGo rested her arms against the back of their pew, her head hanging over the bench's backing so she was almost looking behind them. "Let's not do that again," she requested. Fred, who sat next to her, agreed. He just didn't lounge back like she had, choosing to nurse his shoulder instead.

Thor didn't sit though. "I will return shortly," he announced. "I must make sure the area is secure."

His explanation satisfied those around him and they didn't do anything to try and stop him. In fact, Wasabi was more than happy to let him go. "Would now be a good time to tell us what you wanted before all this craziness began?" he whispered, aware there were clerical workers up in the sanctuary part of the building that might be able to overhear them if they were too loud.

Baymax swiveled his head to scan the area. Sure they were free from intruding ears, he leaned towards the center of the group so as to whisper, glad Hiro had taught him how that worked. "Sam has discovered something that may be useful in locating Hiro and Kally."

This announcement brought everyone up from their dejection and they tried to crowd closer around the robot. Their overlapping questions had to be silenced due to the attention they were inciting from up front. It was Wasabi who pointed out they needed to tone things down, but the excitement was palpable.

"I don't feel comfortable showing you while in this building," Sam admitted when asked for the information. "Perhaps it would be better to wait until Mr. Stark comes?"

That put everyone in a thoughtful mood. They knew they'd have to reveal their superhero identities at some point. But was now the right time? No one seemed to know for sure. The end result was that they all sat back to think it out. It was in this attitude that Thor found them when he returned.

"The area is secure," he announced as he joined them. "I did not see anything that could be considered a threat at this time. All the same, we should remain vigilant. We may not be able to stay here until Tony arrives."

Honey turned to Baymax and Sam. "Was there anything else from Mr. Stark or JARVIS? Anything at all?"

Sam refrained from using Baymax's internal projectors to indicate she was speaking this time. "No," she replied. "He only sent back an affirmative that he had received the message. It's possible he didn't want others to intercept any further information."

"So we might be waiting a while," Honey sighed. She pulled her out phone to check the time, realizing it might be possible for whoever was chasing them to use the devices to track them. "Um, guys, maybe we should turn our cell phones off. If they have our numbers, they might be able to use them to track us."

Thor nodded at this logic. He'd gotten used to the concept of the small contraptions, though he still didn't know how to use them. "You make a good point. I suggest doing as she says."

With a bit of reluctance, the others pulled out their phones and shut them off. Now their only source of communication was through Sam and whatever methods she used to contact Stark. It was likely going to be a long wait to find out what Tony intended on doing.

* * *

Loki could almost jump for joy but didn't. He'd found it! He'd finally found it! They'd done a great job of concealing the entrance, or one of the entrances, but he'd found one. Now all he had to do was get inside, except there seemed to something off about the whole thing. It was almost as if the area beyond the initial entrance was somehow half a step outside of normal space. That might have been why his scrying spell hadn't done so well, he mused.

The real question, then, was how to get past this little hurdle. If he was being honest, it reminded him of what the teseract could do. Chances were good that the altered space didn't follow the exact same laws the current one did, which meant anything was possible once he got past that point. The question was how did he do that?

A man seemed to shimmer into existence, making Loki very glad he'd decided to pull back a bit. This man had a gun and seemed to be talking into a radio. Loki noticed him tucking something into his pocket. Perhaps that would help him get inside, he decided as he flitted over behind the man in question. Without being so much the wiser about the intruder, the man went down under Loki's careful hand. There wasn't so much as a cry of alarm before he'd snapped the man's neck with one sharp twist.

It took a little more doing to drag the man out of view, where he'd hopefully not be found any time soon. But it was easy enough to imitate the man's clothes. After carefully searching his pockets, Loki also found a sort of key card with a funny stripe running through it that he knew wasn't typical. For one, the color was entirely wrong. For another, it was in the wrong place. Perhaps this was what allowed the man to pass safely through to the other side. He felt sure there were other ways as well, but this didn't exactly seem like the main entrance.

"Here goes nothing," he said as he took the man's radio and gun. He doubted he'd need the gun, but having the radio would be helpful, and it wouldn't do to just leave a weapon lying around where anyone could find it.

* * *

The surgery was a success and Dr. Bosch thanked his lucky stars there hadn't been more damage. As things were, the swelling had made things difficult, not to mention all the bruising. Hiro was now back in the same bed he'd used previously, the various leads and other hookups firmly attached to the larger monitoring equipment, including the feeding tube. He doubted the teen would wake any time soon. That and he still felt concerned over the lack of progress in recovering muscle mass and body fat.

Dr. Bosch sank into the chair in his office. If he looked out the window, he could see Hiro and the other medics around him through the one-way glass. They'd had to place both of his legs in braces due to fractures along his left femur and right tibia. One thing was sure, Hiro wouldn't be walking anywhere for a while. When the swelling went down, he'd contemplate a cast or a 3D brace, but the splints would have to do for now. And, though he hoped it wasn't necessary, he might have to insert plates and screws to help things heal faster. But until the swelling went down more, and Hiro was a bit stronger, he wanted to hold off on the idea, crossing his fingers it wouldn't be necessary. He doubted the teen could handle another long surgery for a while. He'd have to hope the splints would be sufficient until then.

He'd had to replace some of the blood Hiro lost from the internal injuries. Saline wouldn't cut it, though he'd also pumped the boy full of antibiotics to stay off any potential infections. Outside of the torn muscles, which they'd also tried to fix, there was a lot of deep bruising, both of bone and tissue. He was going to be in a world of pain when he did wake up, even with the painkillers running through his system. And it was going to take a long time to heal.

"Dr. Bosch?" a voice called out from the intercom on his desk.

The man depressed the button to talk. "Yes?"

"Your presence has been requested in Central Command."

Great. Had word of this incident reached the top already? Or where they ready to proceed with step two of deciding if Hiro's and Kally's DNA would match up? They'd already done initial sequencing. The next test would be to see how their DNA would interact through simulations. Maybe it was about that. Yes, that had to be it. He didn't dare contemplate what would happen when they found out Hiro was out of commission indefinitely.

* * *

Night had fallen by the time Tony Stark made his way to Grace Church. He'd had to ditch a lot of people to get there, deciding it was better to keep this on the down low. They still didn't know who had leaked the information and that bothered not only him but Agent Coulson, who was working on trying to remedy that.

He'd tried to go incognito, or at least as much as was possible. This meant he'd dressed down and waited for night. No one would expect to see Iron Man at a church. And after Happy had managed to completely lose anyone tailing them, he felt more than confident in believing he was alone.

The baseball cap was perhaps a bit overboard, he decided as he scratched under it, but who would look at him twice with it on? And while he did have the sunglasses in hand, they weren't currently in use. It would look weird to wear sunglasses outside after dark, after all. Now all he had to do is figure out where in the church grounds these guys were. It could be anywhere, if he was being honest.

"JARVIS, any ideas?" he asked his phone through a blue tooth headset. It looked less awkward that way, and no one else could hear JARVIS's replies.

There was a pause before the AI answered. "As evening mass seems to be over, it might be best to look in the nave," he replied. "That seems to be the typical place for people trying to blend in."

Tony scratched at his cap again, counting down the seconds until he could rip the thing off. "Nave. Nave..." he mused. "Now what part of the church is that again?"

If JARVIS had been there in person, he probably would have smacked the man. "Really, sir?" he asked with an air of annoyance instead.

"Kidding," Tony retorted. "Mostly." He clapped his hands together before rubbing them like they were cold as he looked around. If he remembered correctly, this church was in the shape of a cross, which meant the nave was somewhere near the middle. Easy enough, he decided as he strode forward. Now he just had to figure out where the nearest door was.

"It's to your left," JARVIS quipped, realizing where Tony was trying go.

Tony corrected his course. "Right. I knew that."

JARVIS was silent on that point, not really buying it.


	44. Some Much Needed Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Giving you an extra chapter this week in celebration of the release of my newest novel. Enjoy!

This was it, Loki thought as he walked down one of many halls. So far he hadn't drawn any attention. He looked like just any old guard making the rounds. No one seemed to question him or anything. The main point was, though, he wasn't exactly sure where to look in this multi-storied place for the people he sought. There had to be some kind of directory, he mused, though none seemed really all that forthcoming in giving him one.

Up ahead, he saw a woman wearing scrubs exit a room, the doors sliding closed behind her. That looked promising. If he was any judge, she probably was a medical practitioner. Maybe there was something behind those doors he might find useful. And if nothing else, there should be some kind of computer he might be able to use.

Loki ducked out of sight, manipulating any cameras in the area so he wouldn't be seen as he changed his wardrobe to the more drab of the medic who'd turned down a far hall. Chances were good he'd blend in a whole lot better this way than if he'd gone in as a guard. He didn't want to cause too much of a stir. A quick swipe of his hand changed the visual ID on the badge he carried, just in case they wanted proof of employment. He even lightened his hair a bit.

The almost metallic scent of sterilizing agents assaulted Loki's nose the moment he walked through the doors. It felt like someone had thrown a brick at him and he took a small step back. He'd definitely been right about this being some kind of medical area. What he wasn't prepared for was the sight of an occupied bed off to one side, clear of the usual first treatment area. The occupant seemed small in comparison to what he might have expected. Why was there a child here?

Well that was fortuitous, Loki thought as he realized who this young man must be. He moved further into the room, the doors closing behind him. From initial inspection, the lad seemed only to be asleep, but on further inspection it was obvious the teen was in some serious condition.

Loki clucked his tongue. "Well haven't you done a number on yourself." He picked up the tablet someone had left on a nearby counter and activated it, his eyes going wide. "Definitely quite the number," he amended when he saw the extent of the teen's injuries. "Just what have they done to you to cause this kind of damage?"

There was an IV line going into the boy's arm, with three bags of different colored liquid, two clear, the other a sort of amber color. A tube came out through his nose and wrapped behind his ear. And the number of leads they had on him would rival any trauma room's attempts to go for most monitored patient. "Not taking any chances, are they."

On top of the feeding tube, they'd also inserted a breathing cannula into his nasal cavity, which was probably far from comfortable. However, if the information on the tablet was correct, this young man had only recently come out of surgery. But if that were the case, where were the medical personnel to keep an eye on things? Shouldn't there be at least one recovery nurse at hand in case something happened? At least that's what his previous experiences on Midgard suggested. Maybe that woman leaving the room had been it, called away for whatever reason.

Well, whatever the reason may be for that nurse's absence, he had a choice to make. According to stated expectations on his chart, Hiro Hamada was likely going to remain unconscious for some time. So did Loki wait for him to wake up, or did he go in search of the other person he was after, the one he'd originally been interested in? It was actually a no-brainer. Hiro wasn't going anywhere. Kally Carmichael, on the other hand, might.

Loki closed his eyes and stretched out his senses. If he could find the essence of her presence, he could easily find where they were keeping her. And once he found her, he could decide what to do from there. One thing was certain, he'd have to do some planning if he was going to retrieve both of them. He doubted Kally would like it if he left Hiro behind.

* * *

Honey had dozed off on the pew, Wasabi beside her. GoGo and Fred had fallen asleep leaning against each other, GoGo leaning on his good shoulder. Thor was the most awake of those actually organic in composition, with Baymax silently monitoring those around them for potential hostile intend.

A man slid into the pew behind the tired heroes, his jeans catching momentarily on a splinter where the wood had worn down. He let out a slight exclamation of pain, hoping there wouldn't be any resulting slivers he'd have to worry about later.

Hearing his exclamation, Baymax turned to view the man. "Hello, Tony," he greeted. "We have been expecting you for some time." He refrained from saying anything about Tony's exclamation, realizing the man had only been jabbed by a splinter of wood. While it would sting for a bit, it didn't require much medical attention.

Thor also turned to look at the billionaire. "It is about time," he added, though he smiled as he gave the man a firm shake of the hand over the back of the pew. "Thank you for coming. I hope you were able to avoid any scrutiny while finding us. Have you managed to find the person responsible for the leak?"

Tony shook his head, keeping his voice low. "Not yet." He glanced over at the sleeping students. "They been out long?"

GoGo stirred. "Not nearly long enough," she quipped as she stretched, careful not to wake Fred. "What gives? We've been here for hours."

"We were a little busy taking care of the guys chasing you," Tony replied evenly. His frown barely showed in the dim light. "We needed to make sure we got them all. And as is, I'm sure there are still more out there waiting. I just wish I knew what they were really after. Somehow I don't think it was actually one of you guys. But if I had to venture a guess, I'd say they wanted your robot."

Honey sat up at that, her eyes now wide open. "Baymax? Why would they want Baymax?"

Tony debated, and then decided it was better to just tell them. "It's just based off of the comments we did get from the conscious assailants we took into custody. Apparently they had orders to take out anything living that got in their way, which makes me think they weren't after any of you. Add to that that they could have tried to kidnap any of you while you were first at Stark Tower, it makes sense. Baymax has always had someone with him."

Baymax seemed to nod, even though he didn't actually move his head. "What you hypothesize makes sense. As Hiro is my patient, it is quite possible whoever took him wished to retrieve me as well. That way I could help him maintain a healthier mental outlook with his PTSD."

"Speaking of which," Tony looked a bit skeptical, "I somehow think there's more to that than just Hiro losing his brother two years ago. JARVIS assures me he hasn't been able to uncover anything that would explain it, which leads me to believe either you guys are keeping it a secret for some reason, or he hasn't told you the real reason behind it."

GoGo and Honey exchanged glances. Honey's expression looked more worried than the adrenaline junky's did. "Should we just tell him?" the Latina wondered, her hands clenched in her lap.

But before GoGo could answer, both Fred and Wasabi started from their sleep. Fred exclaimed something about giant pizza monsters invading New York while Wasabi waved his arms like someone trying to ward off a hoard of attacker killer bees. When they both realized their mistake, they looked a bit sheepish.

'Ahem," GoGo said by way of clearing her throat. "Before you two decided to rejoin the land of the living, we were discussing the possibility of just letting our good friend, Mr. Stark, in on our "extra curricular" activities." She used air quotes to emphasize the words.

Wasabi looked more than a little alarmed as he realized they weren't alone, but he quickly schooled himself. "Uh... why are we bringing this up again now?" he wondered as he realized the two older adults were waiting for them to make up their minds.

Honey placed a gentle hand on Wasabi's shoulder. "Tony thinks that whoever took Hiro and Kally is now trying to take Baymax too." She added in the theory of their captors potentially wanting to use Baymax to control Hiro's PTSD, leading up to Tony's observation that there was way more to that condition than they'd let out.

Fred sighed. "Might as well," he stated. "It's not like we can hide it for too much longer."

Wasabi didn't look entirely convinced though as he looked from GoGo to Honey to Fred. Each seemed almost defeated on the topic, he decided. "Fine," he agreed. "But not here." He looked around again, more pointedly to remind them they weren't exactly alone with the late worshipers and clergy members taking care of the building.

"I take your point," Tony ceded. "But don't think I'm going to forget. Now, let's get you guys out of here and back to the Tower."

GoGo had stood but paused to give the man an incredulous stare. "Back to the Tower? But isn't that place no longer safe for us? I thought you said there was still a leak. It wouldn't surprise me if they had a spy there just waiting for us to show back up."

Tony got a funny kind of look in his eyes. "We're actually counting on it," he admitted. "What better way to catch a spy than to dangle what he wants right in front of him? He wouldn't be able to resist. And then maybe we can get some much needed answers about where to find your friends."

Baymax was about to mention having some possible information to help with that but refrained when he got a subtle nudge from Sammy. "How do you intend to ensure I am not captured?" he asked instead.

Thor nodded at his question. "Tony, I do not wish to call any plan of yours into question, but we must make sure they are unable to gain what they seek while we try to capture them."

"Oh, we've got a plan," Tony assured. "Even though I made sure no one was following me here, and I didn't tell anyone where you are either, I did let a few trusted colleagues in on your contacting me. Together, we've devised a strategy to plug this leak once and for all."

A light seemed to grow in Thor's eyes. "Banner and Natasha," he guessed with a grin. "I like it. So what is your plan?"

Wasabi chose that moment to place himself between Tony and Thor by throwing his arm out since a pew still separated them. "Now wait just a minute here," he protested. "Are you absolutely sure you can trust those two? I mean, what if someone decided to pretend to be them? Or, better yet, what if they are the ones leaking information?"

Tony and Thor exchanged looks before Thor burst out into laughter. "Natasha and Banner, spies?" The thunder god seemed more than amused by this concept. "That is not impossible. I can at least assure they are not working for the enemy." After a moment he did sober up though. "Unless someone is masquerading as them."

"They're not," Tony asserted. "I had JARVIS make sure. You see, we have this authentication process to ensure no one uses our identities. They passed with flying colors. And before you ask, no, it's not possible for anyone to hack the communication we used to make our plan."

Sammy sort of chuckled inside of Baymax, though it wasn't audible to the others. "Actually, I did," she confessed to the robot. "What Tony said is true. At least about verifying everyone. I think they can be trusted though."

"So what is this plan?" GoGo asked, inserting a fresh piece of gum. Her previous one had gone stale. That and she didn't like sleeping with gum in her mouth.

Tony's face stretched with a grin. "I'm going to send you back to Stark Tower using a train out of Woodlawn Station off of the Union Square Green Market. You'll have to walk there, but I'll make sure you make it without any problems. It's a five to ten minute walk, pending on how fast you go."

Fred was nodding. "So we act as though we're all tired and worn out, heading back to home base using the subway. Since Grand Central's the closest to Stark Tower, we head that way. We'll be in the open during the walk to your front door, but that's the point, isn't it? If they see us, whoever this spy is will tell the others and try to intercept us before we can get there. There's about a city block between, so that'll give them plenty of time. Am I right?"

Tony nodded. "Exactly. And I'll have JARVIS monitoring every communication band imaginable to pick up on any communications that might give them away. From there, it should be easy to pinpoint their whereabouts. I wouldn't be surprised if they thought you'd come back that way since your original transportation returned without you. That and we have other agents supposedly combing the city to find you. Short of going on foot, I can't think of a better way. That and using the subway will be a bit safer. The ride will be short since there's a non-stop train. The real wait time will depend on if you get there before the next non-stop train leaves the station."

"And you'll have Dr. Banner and Ms. Romanoff waiting in the wings to take out the spy?" Wasabi asked, just to be sure he was going on the right line of thought. "It's risky, but workable. Though I'm not really a fan of what might happen if this goes wrong."

Seeing this wasn't quite a sell over for everyone, Tony decided to sweeten the deal as he led them towards the back of the nave. There were less people there. "Tell you what; I'll walk with you down to the station. I won't exactly be part of your group though, just a second pair of eyes. Would that help? I'd just drive you over but I don't think there'd be enough room in the car I brought."

Honey paused near one of the back walls, leaning back into the shadows. "What do you guys think? I mean it's not a bad plan, but can we risk it? That's a long ways to walk."

"If it will get us closer to Hiro, I don't see how we have much choice," GoGo asserted. "We can't just run around the city all night either. They'll eventually catch up to us one way or another. Might as well try to stop this craziness while we can."

Thor watched a couple as they passed a close to the back of the building, but he relaxed as they headed towards one of the little shrines. "Do not forget that I will also be with you. I would give my life to protect you if necessary."

GoGo raised her brows. "I feel so much better already," she snarked under her breath. Anything else she might have said was cut off as Honey jabbed her in the ribs.

"I'd feel a lot better if we could keep in contact with you somehow," Wasabi admitted. "Do you have a radio or something?"

Tony shook his head. "You should be fine," he stated. "Just stick with the plan and we should be good." He moved towards the nearest exit.

Baymax shuffled forward. "One moment before we head outside," he said, holding up a hand. "I have been asked to tell you it might be a good idea to look into a Ms. Kendrick associated with Haedria Enterprises."

The billionaire looked at Baymax with scrutinizing eyes. "And who told you to tell me this?"

Baymax didn't so much as blink as Tony tried to stare into his eyes. "I will tell you once we have safely returned to Stark Tower."

Honey Lemon and Wasabi waited a bit nervously to see how Iron Man would take that. The information was new to them as well, though they had a good idea where it had come from.

"Fine," Tony agreed. "But when we are all safely back at Stark Tower, I want a full explanation of all your cryptic remarks, along with why Hiro has PTSD." He turned back to the door and pushed it open before exiting the building.

The Big Heroes exchanged glances with each other before they followed him out. Thor took up the rear without comment.

* * *

Kally doggedly typed away at the code she'd worked out an hour earlier. Since she wasn't entirely sure what they wanted this AI to do, she had to leave room for added protocols and other ventures. She absently rubbed at one temple. She'd had a bit of a headache most of the day, like a low buzzing of energy had somehow penetrated the area and was trying to tell her something.

Her fingers stopped their progress, the hair on the back of her neck standing up. There was someone else in the room, and they hadn't used the door. She didn't feel any ill intent, but the fact that someone had somehow managed to get into her work area without using the conventional means was more than enough to make her feel uncomfortable. Who were they and what could they possibly want? Or was it something else? A ghost, perhaps? She wasn't sure if she wanted to know or not, but eventually decided it better to find out.

Slowly, Kally turned in her swivel chair. She blinked at the sight of a man she was pretty sure she didn't know, dressed in what looked like the same uniforms as the guards. Except he wasn't. He was wearing some kind of beaten leather shirt over dark pants, with a long leather coat over the all, using a lot of green and gold highlights throughout, and really tall boots. The only consistent things between the two images were the long, dark hair, the mischievous yet curious look on the man's face, the long nose and dark eyes. It was surreal and made her want to shake her head to clear her vision.

"I know I might be seeing things, but who are you and how did you get in here?" She eyed him warily, not sure if he was a threat or something else.

Loki seemed a bit surprised as he considered the girl before her. She looked like her mother, he decided, but there was decidedly something more to her features than those of his childhood friend. They were probably a reflection of her mortal father. And yet, even though he'd come into the room like a chameleon, using his magic to hide his presence, she'd somehow not just felt his presence but could see him as well.

He gave a sort of bemused kind of half laugh. "I can see there's no hiding from you," he stated as he moved forward a few steps.

Kally quickly reached for a sticky note on her desk, standing as she did. She'd doodled a bit earlier, mostly runes, though the one on the slip of paper was one she'd felt to save. Something told her it might come in handy, and now she wanted to put it to the test. The symbol on the paper was one she'd learned from her book of runes back at NYU. It was called _ansuz_ , and was said to hold properties of bringing out truth in communication. It looked like an F with the two shorter lines pointing more towards the ground like a one-sided arrow.

Before Loki could even react to what she was doing, Kally slammed the sticky note into his chest, holding it in place like a bandage over a bleeding wound. "Speak. Who are you? And what do you want?"

Loki's eyes widened in shock, his entire body stiffening at the force behind her actions. This girl had a lot more grit to her than he'd thought possible. He could see the glitter of determination in her eyes as she essentially forced a rune on him. He hadn't even known she knew how to invoke them, but he could feel the powerful sign start to take a hold on him.

"I..." He paused, trying to fight against the rune but its power wouldn't be swayed. His eyes still made him look a bit like a fish out of water, his limbs almost acting as if he were tied up. "I am Loki of Asgard, adopted son of Odin. I came to find you to ensure my victory over him so that I may claim Asgard as my own."

Kally bit her lip at that. "Okay then," she uttered as her hand slipped from his chest, the sticky note fluttering to the ground like a dead leaf. "That's just what I need, another person trying to use me to their own end. Okay then. I guess I can make room in my schedule for that, add you in after these psycho loonies are done with me. They only want me to create some doomsday program to go along with Hiro's doomsday robot while messing with our DNA. Why not? Everybody else wants to use us. Why not you too?"

Loki gasped as if he'd just resurfaced from a really deep dive as the paper fell to the floor. His eyes were still wide, with a hint of either fear or guarded respect. He wasn't sure which. One thing was sure. This girl had definitely inherited her mother's abilities. She'd also been good with the runes and he wasn't about to forget that.

"These puny mortals want to use you?" It came before he could even think about what he was saying. Of course they wanted to use her. She wouldn't be there if they didn't. And neither would her friend. He was just still in shock from the rune trick that he wasn't thinking correctly. That's right. That's all that was going on. He wasn't at all concerned about her actual well-being. That had to be it.

Kally gave him a glaring stare, wondering what she must look like on camera. She'd read about the Norse legends and Loki's magic. Supposedly he had some kind of glamour he could use to fool the eyes of mortals. That might explain why she'd seen him in two different guises. The next question, of course, was whether or not he was using that glamour to hide from the cameras or was he there in the guise as a guard? Considering that he'd not used the door, she suspected he was using the former. Either way, chances were good they could still see and hear her.

"Well?" She continued to glare. "Why else did you think I was here? Against my will, I might add. This isn't exactly the kind of place I'd pick for a vacation." Every bit of pent up frustration spilled out. She wasn't sure that she cared, though a small part of her told her to rein it back in a bit. But it was so nice to get it all out, the helplessness, the anger, and every other pent up emotion. "I am sick and tired of people trying to either use me or bully me around!" She plopped back into her chair as if exhausted. As she did, she flung her hands up, the palm of her left hand now visible to the god of mischief.

Loki pointed at her palm. "What is that?" he demanded. When she didn't immediately answer, he grabbed her by the wrist and forced her hand into a position he where he could examine it more closely. The rune was unmistakable, another long upright line, with a smaller line slanting down to the right through it like an awkward lower-cased letter T. Nauthiz they called it, the rune of self-reliance, endurance, and... survival. He mentally smacked himself.

Kally yanked her hand free and he let her as the shock of his realization scrolled across his face once more. This was no dimwitted child looking to be molded into his personal road to power. Technically speaking, he already had that. This was an underdog, beaten down over and over again, just like he was. And yet, here she was, defying the odds with one symbol: Survival. He staggered back, running into the still closed door.

His thoughts raced. If Kally was that much of a survivor, how much more so was her friend? He hadn't exactly stuck around much at the Lucky Cat Café, but he'd seen the pictures in Hiro's room, the still cordoned off area where his brother used to spend his time. He recalled the hints and rumors of a hard life. And there the boy was, in a place against his will, beaten down in every way imaginable. He could only guess at what must have happened to put him in his current condition. Their friends were right in trying to find and free them. What place did he have in trying to use them, either of them, for his own personal ends when they'd both already suffered so much? Maybe almost as much as he had.

Kally watched him warily, not sure what the expression on his face meant. It was obvious she'd caused some kind of reaction, though she wasn't sure what. She absently massaged her wrist, more because it was something to do than because it hurt. He hadn't left any marks on her.

Loki blinked rapidly a few times, looking almost like he was going to puke. "I have to... I need to go do something," he stuttered as he turned towards the doors. And before Kally could so much as protest, the man somehow stepped through the solid surface and was gone.


	45. This Should Be Fun

Dr. Bosch let out a sigh as he reentered the medical suite. Not much seemed to have changed in his absence, though the nurse who should have been by Hiro's side wasn't there. He'd have to get after her later for that. He went over to the bed and checked the monitors. All seemed to be in order. And Hiro was still asleep. Either he hadn't woken up yet or he'd fallen back asleep. A quick look at the tablet told him it was the former.

The doctor pulled over the swivel stool and sat down. Nothing seemed out of line on any of the charts, which was good. The anesthesia should have worn off by now, but that didn't mean the teen would wake for a while. He had suffered a lot of trauma lately.

"You don't know how lucky you are not being awake right now," Bosch mused as he observed how Hiro's chest rose and fell. "The upper management wasn't exactly happy to hear about your little incident. But their disappointment was overshadowed with elation when they heard your and Kally's DNA will match up, at least on a basic level. They've approved my team to go ahead and start looking at simulated sequencing to see what kind of outcomes they might expect should they move forward with it. Since your DNA is so unusual, it might take them a while. And, to be quite honest, I've never seen anything quite like it, which makes me a little scared of the potential outcome if they succeed."

Something clattered in the background and Dr. Bosch turned towards the direction of the sound. No one was in sight, but he noticed a box of gloves had somehow fallen to the ground. He went to pick it up and put it where it belonged before returning to Hiro's side, wondering how the box had fallen in the first place.

He leaned closer to Hiro's bed, using an almost conspiratorial tone. "You know, to be honest, I'm half tempted to try and sabotage the test. I didn't used to be the way I am now. I had two young children, but was persuaded to give them over to "science". They were part of an elite program to manipulate DNA in the hopes of creating a super human. After they couldn't steal the serum used to create Captain America, they went through all kinds of lengths to try and make their own. My children didn't survive. And I'll be damned if I let them do the same thing to you."

A dark shadow loomed up behind the doctor, stretching out past what would have been normal given the lighting in the room. "You probably shouldn't admit to those kinds of feelings out loud. It might get you in trouble."

Dr. Bosch practically jumped off the stool, his heart pounding at the unexpected interruption. He swung around, one hand reaching for something in his lab coat pocket, his face only paling more at the sight of one of the guards. "I wasn't... I didn't mean... I was only trying..." He spluttered before weakly sinking back down on the stool. He was in trouble and he knew it.

The guard, who had unusually long, black hair, gave him a disapproving look. "What kind of doctor are you if you can't even tell when another person's in the room? I thought they trained you on situational awareness. My but things have fallen off, haven't they?"

"I have no excuses," Dr. Bosch admitted as he hung his head. He still had his hand in his pocket as he fumbled for an unused syringe he kept there for emergencies.

An almost laconic smile crossed the guard's face as his uniform transformed from polyester to dark leather. "If I were a real guard, you'd probably be hauled off by now. But since I'm not, I'll overlook the little slip up." Loki couldn't help but look a little smug at his subterfuge.

The sound of fabric rustling came from the bed and both men turned towards it as Hiro tried to sit up, using his good arm as a sort of prop.

"You shouldn't be moving around too much," Dr. Bosch admonished as he got up and tried to gently press the boy back down. "You've sustained massive injuries." He immediately disregarded the idea of using the syringe on his unusual visitor in favor of caring for his patient.

Hiro gave a sort of snort. "Yeah, I can feel them," he stated. "Not the worst I've ever had though." This last part seemed almost to himself as he went to rub at his eyes. "Is what you said about our DNA true? Are they really going to try and use it?" He found the feeding tube and cannula in his attempts to clear his eyes of sleep and groaned. "Ugh, I hate these things."

The doctor didn't know what to say to that and so made as if to check all of the tubes and wires, especially making sure the feeding tube hadn't been displaced. "I didn't know you were awake for that," he admitted. "Your vitals indicated you were asleep."

Hiro laughed a bit, resisting the urge to cough. "Funny thing, I've kinda learned to make it look like I'm sleeping when I'm not. It's really useful when you want to overhear things but don't want to get caught. I've even managed to fool Baymax a few times."

Loki stood a few paces away, watching the entire exchange. "That's all nice and everything," he spoke up, "but that doesn't solve the immediate problem. Lucky for you, I've managed to fool your overlords so they didn't hear any of that. You're welcome, by the way." He looked somewhat pleased with himself.

An epiphany hit Hiro at that moment and he leaned forward as much as everything would allow. "I just realized who you are," he announced, wincing. The effort was far from worth it. "You're that Loki guy who opened a portal over New York last year."

The god of mischief looked a bit taken back by that. "I didn't know they'd shared that with the general public." He looked less than pleased with the idea. That meant others might know him by sight as well. He'd have to remedy that.

But Hiro shook his head as he lay back against the pillow, a fractional movement considering all the tubes and wires. "They didn't. I'm just really good at hacking government databases." He smiled a bit at that, remembering how Jack Harkness had given him the codes. Man that had been a good day.

Loki couldn't help but stare at Hiro in disbelief. "You hacked the SHIELD database?" He would most definitely have to take this boy more seriously. Just as Kally had told him, he was one smart cookie.

Hiro continued to smile, moving to scratch an itch on his forehead. The area in question was, unfortunately, covered over by tape. "Well, yeah. I was curious after the Battle of New York and I'd heard the name casually referenced once. I kind of tend to hold on to those kinds of things. That and I was bored at the time, recovering from another mess. And my aunt had grounded me so I had a lot of time on my hands." He raised his shoulders a bit as if that should say it all. He grimaced at the motion though, his muscles protesting.

Dr. Bosch returned to his stool. "Now I know why they wanted you so badly," he mused. "Though I somehow doubt they knew you'd hacked into SHIELD. If they had, they might have kidnapped you to do something other than built a fake medical robot."

"Is that what they were having me do," Hiro said with overtones of irony. But when the doctor gave him a look, he gave his best innocent smile. "Actually, I kinda figured that's what they wanted. I mean, you ask me to build something similar to Baymax, only less huggable? That's a no brainer."

Smart and sassy, Loki thought as he eyed the teen. No wonder Kally liked him so much. "So they were having you make the body and Kally make the brains," he mused, one hand to his chin.

Hiro tried to sit up even more at the mention of his friend, except he had to lay back down as the pain shot up. "Ow," he uttered, resisting the urge to rub his stomach. He could feel the pull of stitches and surgical tape, reminding him of the timeline where he'd had his appendix removed. Thankfully, the memory didn't seem inclined to pull his mind from the present, unlike the one that had probably gotten him into this mess.

Dr. Bosch went to lift the sheet covering Hiro's body, moving the gown so he could check on the incisions. It wouldn't do to have them unnecessarily pulled, potentially causing more bleeding and other complications. "You really should lie still for a while," he admonished. "You've only been out of surgery for a few hours." He looked to the monitors, just to be sure none of his vitals had changed due to the unnecessary movement. If they changed, it might indicate he'd done more than potentially stretch a few stitches.

"Yeah. Noticed," Hiro gasped through the pain. Whatever painkillers they'd given him earlier were wearing off, or weren't enough, and all the pings and pangs were coming to bear, even the ones in his broken arm. He could tell his legs were swollen from whatever damage he'd done to them as well. They felt fat like sausages. "Can I uh... get something for... for the...?"

Realizing the painkillers weren't being as effective as he'd hoped, the doctor went to adjust the setting of morphine on the IV pole. He was a little surprised a nurse hadn't already done that and made a mental note to beret whoever had been on duty. He took the same opportunity to check on the swelling. It had gone down a bit, thanks to the drugs, but was still concerning. He'd likely have to dunk the boy in an ice bath in an effort to bring it down even more. But he needed to wait for a while before doing that. There was no way Hiro could handle that right now. In the meantime, he could apply ice packs to the worst areas.

Loki, for his part, had begun to pace, one hand under his chin. Things were decidedly getting a lot more complicated than he'd bargained for. And the idea of using those two was decidedly no longer appealing. There was no denying this puny mortal was a genius. But, again, there was so much pain inside him that he couldn't help but feel a sort of kinship with him. Nor could he forget that Kally had told him about Hiro either. All this, of course, left him with a moral dilemma. What should he do about the whole situation?

He could march right up to SHIELD and tell them exactly what he knew, though he somehow doubted it would be taken too kindly. Even though he was good at masquerading, there were those in their company who were also as discerning and he was sure to be found out. If he showed his face, that was. He definitely didn't need anyone finding out he was still alive. Perhaps there was another way though.

Loki reached into his pocket with his free hand and found the key card. He'd almost forgotten about the slight dimensional displacement. That would make things difficult. It wasn't like they could just have the Avengers come marching in to the rescue, not unless they had that special card as well, or he somehow figured out how to deactivate whatever device they were using to displace this part of space.

And there, of course, was the conundrum. At the present moment, he could possibly steal enough cards to get both him and the two teens out, but with Hiro in the condition he was in, he doubted they'd get far. Even if the good doctor joined them, they'd still be found out sooner than later. He doubted he could magic them all back to his vehicle. And then what? If he did manage to do that? These people had means and ways. No, he had to somehow get word out to his brother and the others, as much as he loathed the idea. The only way to keep these people from coming after the two teens again was to eliminate them from the board.

Loki stepped on the metaphorical brakes, pausing both physically as well as mentally. Was he actually contemplating breaking these people out? Doing something that his brother would actually applaud for once? He blinked a few times as he contemplated it. The answer was, of course, yes. Despite having their differences, Thor was still the only brother he knew. They had a lot of good, and bad, memories together. But he was still family, regardless of the circumstances, and he did want his brother's approval. More than that, he wanted Thor's acceptance as something more than a mistake or a rival.

He spun on his heels to face back towards the bed. "If I were to propose trying to escape this place, what would you say?" He waited on bated breath to see what both individuals would say.

Dr. Bosch started at his question, almost dropping the ice pack he had in hand. He carefully composed himself as he slid the pack under Hiro's sheet. "Impossible," he finally answered. "With the power of the teseract holding us where we are, unless you have a special card, you're not going anywhere."

Well, that confirmed Loki's suspicions right there. "But isn't there a way to disable that?" he inquired.

"If technology is involved, I'm sure I could disable it," Hiro spoke up. He felt a lot better now that the morphine had started to take greater effect. It did make him a little sleepy though. But the alternative wasn't nice. "I'm sure if we came up with some kind of plan, we could at least get out of here."

Dr. Bosch shook his head. "It's no good. They'd only recapture us before we got to any of the main roads. We'd have to have some kind of outside help."

Loki frowned. Of course the doctor would confirm his own thoughts on the matter. He'd have to reach out somehow, but the question was how? And then there was the question of Hiro's condition. He wasn't going much of anywhere as things stood, not until he was a bit more stable. Even Loki could tell that much. There certainly was no way the teen would leave this place on his own two feet.

"We'd have to wait a minimum of at least three days for Hiro to be in any condition to move," the doctor added, confirming Loki's fears. "If we don't, his incisions could open and the internal bleeding could return. I'd prefer a week, but that might not be in the cards. If things go well with the DNA simulations, they might want to move forward with that project over the current one. And I don't want to contemplate what they might require for that one." He also didn't want to contemplate what it might mean if Hiro really did require metal rods or plates to help his fractures heal. A week might be sufficient time to determine if the teen could handle such a surgery, but they apparently wouldn't have time for that if things went the way he suspected they would.

Loki sighed. "We don't have that much time," he confirmed. "They'll eventually realize the guard whose place I took is missing. It might not be today, but it will surely be sooner than later."

Hiro resisted the urge to sit up again, knowing it would only cause more problems. "We can't let them use my DNA to play god," he stated. "And I'm not exactly happy with the idea of them using Kally's either. She is half Asgardian, after all."

That explained a lot, Dr. Bosch thought. At least about Kally's DNA. He still wasn't sure how to explain away Hiro's. "Why not?" he asked, more curious than anything.

The teen closed his eyes as he cradled his broken arm. "Let's just say my "mutation" wasn't an effect of nature and it was very painful getting to this point. It's not exactly something I think was meant to happen. And, to be perfectly honest, it's not something I think scientists have a right to play with."

The strain on his face was more than enough to convince the doctor there was a lot more involved than Hiro was willing to admit. Chances were also really good that the circumstances that had brought about this mutation were some of the very reasons he suffered from PTSD. It made a certain kind of sense, now that he thought about it. Nothing came without a price. "As I said earlier, I can try to sabotage the experiments, but I might get caught. I can probably only postpone them. But if what you say is true, it'd be best to try and destroy any and all samples we've collected from the both of you."

Loki had a funny sort of smile on his face at that comment. "I personally wouldn't mind seeing this entire monstrosity burned to the ground. That would mean, of course, that you'd have to be sure that all samples are indeed stored here and nowhere else." He gave the doctor a look.

Dr. Bosch looked thoughtful. "I think they're all here, but I can't be a hundred percent sure about that. This base is top secret, even from most others in our organization. I'm not sure how many of them actually know we exist."

"Fair enough," Loki acquiesced. "You two," he pointed at both Hiro and Dr. Bosch, "focus on healing. I'm going to go and see what I can do about communicating with the outside world so we'll have some semblance of backup when the time comes." He didn't so much as pause to see if they agreed or not as he strode through the closed door and out into the hall.

Hiro let out his breath. "Well, this should be fun," he stated.


	46. Ambush

For a weekend night, the street just outside Grand Central Station didn't seem all that busy, Honey thought as she checked the perimeter. She nervously adjusted her glasses, wondering just how this was all going to go down, or if anything would happen at all. There were too many unknowns on their end, and all they had were Stark's promises that everything would be fine.

"This way," Thor directed, staying on the same side of the street as the train station. He kept looking from side to side, almost as if he expected something to happen.

The five Big Heroes followed him, Baymax in the middle, scanning as he went. "I am detecting unusual radio waves in the area," the robot noted.

GoGo rubbed at her arms, not because she was cold, but because she felt exposed. "I don't like it," she commented as she looked around. Even though there were plenty of streetlights, and the occasional person entering or leaving the station next to them, something felt off. "I keep expecting assassin ninjas to come out at any moment."

Fred nodded in agreement, his face grim. "Yeah, I know what you mean." He glanced behind them quickly, pausing a bit. "Thought I saw something," he said by way of explanation when GoGo gave him a shrewd look.

"Keep moving," Thor instructed. "The ideal point to stage an ambush is further ahead, while we are halfway between the street behind us and the one ahead."

Wasabi shook at the idea. "Thanks so much for giving me that visual," he griped. Without his super hero gear, he felt more than a little under prepared for whatever might happen. "I'm so ready for this to be over!"

Honey's fingers clutched her purse, her fingers trembling as if to quickly punch out a chemical equation, except it was the wrong purse for that. "Why do I feel like we're being watched?"

"Probably because we are," GoGo pointed out. Several pedestrians had stopped to stare at the unusual group. "Just try to act normal, would you?"

Wasabi had to resist the urge to stop in the middle of the road and tirade, knowing it would only draw more attention. "This is so far from normal, it's not even funny," he said instead. He had clenched his teeth, fists also clenched.

"And breathe," Fred reminded as he cradled his arm. The area of his wound was still hurting. They hadn't been able to get any painkillers for him yet and he was sure he might need a stitch or two replaced. And probably some kind of antibiotics to go along with it.

Thor turned to look back at the others, who had all paused for their small tirades of anxiety. He supposed he couldn't blame them. They weren't exactly trained to be warriors. But they were only giving the enemy more chances to take advantage of them by staying where they were. And if these people were indeed after their robot, it only made it that much easier for them to do so. "Keep moving," he ordered.

At that exact moment, a team of about ten black clad men and women converged on the group. Honey let out a sound of surprise the moment she saw them and they all huddled around Baymax.

Thor got a funny kind of smile on his face as he held out his arm as if holding some kind of invisible weapon. It almost looked like he was relishing the idea of beating up a bunch of criminals. There was nothing but confident glowing off him.

The group of enemy combatants slowly started to move in, as if to eliminate any means of escape. Since there were no doors readily accessible, it made sense. If they could cut anyone from running off, it would make things that much easier on them, though it was obvious by their stances that they thought Thor the greatest of threats out of the group they stalked.

GoGo let out a growl of rage and frustration. "I'll be a laughing stock if I go down without a fight!" And before Thor could even call out in protest, she launched herself at the nearest enemy.

* * *

Tony hated waiting. Even if only for a short amount of time. After he'd left those vulnerable kids at the station, he'd had Happy drive him a short distance away where he could get suited up in a suit made specifically to blend into the dark shadows. From there, he'd jetted off back to the Tower to wait on events.

Natasha had secreted herself, along with some trusted agents, near the expected target area. Banner was on standby as well, should the need arise. Though Tony hoped it wouldn't be needed. The Hulk did tend to go overboard sometimes.

Thanks to the information from Baymax, he'd also requested JARVIS to find any and all information on a Ms. Kendrick from Haedria Enterprises. This information, hopefully, would include current whereabouts and affiliations. He didn't know much about Haedria Enterprises, other than that it had come into the public view less than a decade ago. As many other technology companies had popped up around the same time, he hadn't given it much thought, though they were now starting to become a real source of competition.

Iron Man turned his thoughts back to the matter at hand. No one knew where the mole might be hiding, but he'd let slip, after returning, that he had heard from the others and expected the stranded students to be returning sometime soon. He'd had to dress down for the little display as he reentered Stark Tower in his more typical clothes. That had taken some subterfuge on his part as he'd had Banner hold on to a pair of his clothes while sitting at one of the local businesses. So he felt fairly confident in believing that whoever this mole was, they'd show their ugly face before too long.

Several guards had been on hand near the entrance to the Tower to hear his announcement as he pretended to talk on the phone. In reality, he'd been connected to Agent Coulson, giving him a general update while setting the bait. He'd even gone so far as to ask one of the other agents on guard to look into the possibility of his guests using various means of transportation, just to make sure all bases were covered.

After that, he'd returned to his stealth suit to wait on events, having JARVIS not only look into the Haedria matter, but also to monitor the various radio waves and other potential means of communication to alert them the moment someone tried to send off a message.

And then it happened. JARVIS was able to patch him in as a listener as the mole informed some outside partner about the students' whereabouts. He knew from listening that Thor and his group had just exited the subway and were now headed down Park towards the Tower. But when JARVIS asked if he should give the signal, he held off. They wanted to get more than just the mole. They wanted the team sent to retrieve their package as well, if at all possible. "Make sure you track the source so we can take them out," he instructed and was rewarded with the butler's announcement that he'd already dispatched Coulson to their location outside the Tower.

Not content to just sit up in the penthouse, Tony decided to make a wide arc around the neighboring building to come into position. They had no idea how long it would take the extraction team to do their thing and he wanted to be ready to swoop in if necessary. Since he suspected their target was Baymax, he partially planned on making sure the robot was removed from the equation.

"Sir," JARVIS spoke up, making Tony's visuals change to accommodate the situation below, "the enemy has engaged."

And it was true. Tony could see the heat signatures of almost a dozen individuals slowly begin to converge on where Thor and his group had tightly clustered together. But before he could do much of anything, one of the target groups left the cluster and lashed out at one of the approaching enemy.

Tony cussed under his breath. "JARVIS, we're going on." He dived off the top of the building where he'd stationed himself, thrusters at full force. Judging from the information JARVIS gave him, the one who'd decided to instigate first violence was GoGo. Somehow he wasn't entirely surprised.

A man in black flew through the air before slamming into the side of Grand Central. Tony glanced briefly to one side, noticing Thor with his hammer raised as if he'd just struck a home run. "Always so flamboyant," he uttered under his breath as he crashed into one of the nine remaining bodies surrounding the small group. He didn't stop his forward motion until the woman he'd grappled slammed into a wall on the opposite side of the street.

Natasha sped past from her hiding place in a blur of black leather. Like a ninja, she took out two enemies at the same time, flipping one over the other. She turned to take on a third that had circled in to harass the group of assets in the middle.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw GoGo take down the man she'd targeted. He'd have to give her kudos for that later, after he cussed her out for engaging the enemy. That hadn't been part of the plan. "Coulson, got the mole yet?" he asked over the communications link.

There was a sound of scuffling on Coulson's end, which ended up a thud. "Coulson?" Tony inquired again. "Agent?"

A faint voice came over the link, sounding almost strangled. "Hail Hydra." And then the line went dead.

"Did I just hear what I think I heard?" Natasha commented over the link as she took out her third target.

Two more bodies went flying as Thor knocked them into the train station walls. "Sure sounded like it," Tony answered as he ducked to avoid being beaned by one of the flying bodies. "I'm getting the robot out of here."

He swooped low and hooked his arms under Baymax's armpits. "Time to go for a ride," he told the healthcare bot as he jetted off into the air. "Hope you like flying."

From below, he heard more cries as one of the remaining assailants somehow got into the central cluster of students moments after Tony jettisoned off. A loud scream sounded over the link, probably from Wasabi. This was followed by a loud thwack and another body went flying.

Several moments of silence filled the airwaves. "All clear, area secure," Natasha finally reported. "Let's get these kids out of here."

Tony didn't wait to make sure she'd told the truth as he flew the healthcare bot up to the penthouse level. He shed his Iron Man suit the moment he touched down. "Natasha, have them brought up here as soon as possible, would you? We have a lot to talk about."

"Roger," Natasha confirmed before signing off.

Back on solid ground, Baymax turned to observe Tony Stark as the man went behind the bar of the main area to pour himself a drink. "If you continue to drink at the rate I have observed, you will suffer severe cirrhosis of the liver within the next three years," he stated.

That announcement didn't stop Tony from downing the drink he'd just poured, or his pouring another one. "After a day like today, I think I deserve a bit of a drink."

By the time Tony had finished his third, Natasha had brought the others up to the penthouse. He stood as they entered the room, looking a little worse for wear. "You look like hell," he told Fred, which was true. The mascot was decidedly more pale than usual. "Natasha, why didn't you stop by the med room first?"

Natasha shrugged. "They insisted on coming right up. Besides, I though that's what you wanted." She watched as Honey Lemon went up to the robotic nurse and give him a big hug. "Hopefully we've plugged the leak though. Phil should be on his way up in a minute."

Almost as if hearing his name called, Coulson entered the room, straightening his tie. He had a slight welt on one side of his face, but it was subsiding under the cool of an ice back. "Stark," he greeted. "Natasha. Thor."

"Agent," Tony greeted in kind as he ushered them to one of the lush sitting areas. "Have a seat. I understand several of us have quite the tale to tell everyone." He glanced knowingly at the Big Heroes. "That and I'd really like to hear how it went down with you and the mole."

GoGo inserted herself between Fred and the others. "But first I'm going to take this knucklehead down to that medical room of yours. He's probably popped a few stitches and might need a little TLC." She took Fred by the arm, instead of the collar, and began to lead him back towards the elevator. "And don't even think about talking about anything until we get back," she ordered as she glared back at the older adults in the room.

Honey sat on a sofa and began tapping her fingers as silence filled the room. "Well this is awkward," she commented. The others in the room didn't say anything.

* * *

Kally hadn't expected Loki to return so soon, but there he was, less than three hours after he'd left. Except now she was in her usual cell instead of the lab. How he'd found out about her change of location was anyone's guess. But he was there and that's what was more pressing on her thoughts.

"I've seen your friend, Hiro Hamada," Loki announced as he swept into the room, bypassing using the door like a normal human being would. Was this guy made out of air? "He's not exactly doing well."

That got Kally's attention and she couldn't help but stand up from her reclining position on the thin mat they'd provided for her as a bed. "What do you mean he's not doing well?" Sure he'd looked like crap when she'd last seen him, heading back to his lab after a series of unfortunate events, and her less than stellar migraine. But nothing could have really happened to him since then, could it?

Loki began pacing the room. "We haven't got time to worry about that right now," he replied. "What we need is to find a way to communicate with the outside world. Think, Loki!"

Kally wasn't having any of that though as she moved to intercept his pacing. "Tell me what you meant when you said Hiro's not doing well." She had to stand up tiptoes to look into his eyes, but her anger was no less tangible for it. Part of her wondered if she'd just walk right through him if he hadn't stopped, just like he'd walked through the wall.

The god of mischief took two steps back, his hands up in mock surrender as he realized he wasn't going to get her help until he gave her what she wanted. "What I meant to say is he could be better," he amended. "He's fine. I promise."

The look Kally gave reminded him of her mother and he couldn't help but cringe just a bit. While he hadn't known the woman was a Valkyrie at the time, she had no problem besting him in many a contest, and Thor for that matter. And since he wasn't entirely sure what abilities may have been handed down the genetic line, he thought it might be better to try and stay on Kally's good side. It wasn't that her mother was a bully. Far from it. But she definitely knew what she was doing and did it well.

Kally gave him an extra dose of glare, just for good measure. "He'd better be." She then let her shoulders sag. Despite it being a 'typical' day, it had been exhausting. And with the added surprises, she was more than ready to go to bed. "Now what were you going on about communicating with the outside world? Can't you just pick up any old phone and call them?"

Loki tsked. "Apparently you don't realize the severity of your situation. You see, not only are you living in, what to you is a sense of accelerated time, but you are also currently existing one step outside of your normal dimension."

The look on Kally's face was more than worth the announcement, but it quickly changed to realization. "The teseract! They are must have harnessed the power of it. Which means..." She trailed off as she looked back up at Loki.

"Exactly," Loki confirmed. "You, my dear, are in the clutches of none other than Hydra. Though how you seem to know about the teseract and all that is beyond me."

Kally didn't look nearly as impressed or scared at his announcement as he thought she should. "Hydra," he tried again. "You know, the people I used to work for before I opened a giant hole the sky, letting in hundreds of thousands of space creatures on the city of New York?"

"I know who they are," Kally replied. "And I already knew we were in a Hydra base. Dr. Bosch let it slip earlier. And while I'm not exactly thrilled by it, there's not much I can do at the moment. But it's nice to hear you admit you were on the wrong team."

Loki pursed his lips. "I see." He looked far from pleased by her words. But it couldn't be helped. Those who were on the winning side were the ones who wrote history, after all. She probably didn't know any better, not that Hydra was all that great, but it had served its purpose for him. And now he could go against them, doing whatever he pleased. "That still doesn't solve the problem of how to communicate with the outside world." Nor did it explain how she knew about the teseract, unless she too had managed to hack into some database.

Kally looked thoughtful as she contemplated her options. It was entirely possible she could give him an in to communicate with her AI, but would anyone be listening if Sammy tried to tell someone else? She had no way of knowing what her program had been doing in her absence, though she hoped Sam had been making friends. Of course, Sam might also have decided to just lay low. On the other hand, she was a pretty complex program that could probably find a way to 'leak' information to the right people.

"I have an idea," Kally announced. "Since you somehow managed to get in here, I'm sure you can find a way back out again. And if you can somehow send out a coded message for me, I'm sure that would help out. But, that would mean I'd need access to the computer again, and hopefully some kind of data chip. That way you'd just have to plug it in somewhere and the message would be sent. The only problem with that is it'd have to wait until morning. I somehow doubt they'd take too kindly to suddenly finding me in my lab instead of this cell."

Loki thought through her offer. While it would be better to get the information out sooner, he could see her point. And Hiro did need some time to recover before they even contemplated moving him. He somehow thought he'd need the teen to shut down whatever device they were using to keep this pocket of space where it was anyway. So having Hiro at least somewhat functional was mandatory. He doubted Dr. Bosch would let him be moved any sooner than was necessary.

With a sigh, Loki agreed. "But how can you be sure your message will reach anyone?" He gave her a critical eye. Sure this girl was smart, but was she smart enough to figure out a way to hack into SHIELD's communications system long enough to get the message out? And all this with a program he'd have to somehow smuggle out before the Hydra agents realized the man he'd masqueraded as was no longer among the living. This wasn't going to be easy.

Kally smiled. "Of course. Because I'm not going to try and send a direct message." She couldn't help but feel amused at the look on the god of mischief's face, but it was so worth it. "I created an AI not too long ago, and if I reach out to her, I'm sure she can get the message to the right people."

It all seemed like a major gamble to Loki, but he lived for a good game of chess. This would only make things that much more interesting. In the meantime, he could try and see if he could figure out the lay of the land a bit more. That way, when the time came, he could take both Hiro and Kally where they needed to be in order to make things work. "Very well," he agreed. "I'll let you sleep, or whatever it is you do at this time. I'll be back once you've had a chance to figure out how you're going to convince your AI to get the word out."

Loki once more disappeared through the wall, this time forgoing using the door. Kally let out a sigh. If she was going to deliver on her word, she had a lot of work to do. Too bad her overseers didn't allow her to bring any of her tools back to her cell. A notebook and pencil would be useful. She'd have to memorize it all and hope she didn't leave any details out in her coding tomorrow.


	47. The Answer is No

In the end, it took close to an hour before the medics were satisfied with Fred's care. He wasn't too happy about the tetanus shot he'd been avoiding, or the antibiotic booster they gave him, but it was done. He didn't need the added reminder to try and take things easy, though GoGo promised to make sure he did. He didn't feel quite as bad when she gave him a sly wink after saying it.

By the time they'd returned to the rest of the team, Tony had somehow managed to procure enough sandwiches and drinks to feed the lot. And, after checking with Honey, both Big Heroes felt relieved to learn no one had gone ahead without them as far as discussing recent events. GoGo didn't have beat anyone up, which was a nice surprise.

Tony gave them a moment to get settled with plates in hand before clearing his throat as a reminder them that they really should get things started. Even though the hour was getting late, they had a lot of information to get through and the sooner they started the better. "I believe you guys have something you wanted to tell us," he reminded when none of the Big Heroes took the hint.

Wasabi glanced at each of his team mates before staring directly at their host. "Yes, we do," he stated firmly. He'd had enough time to work himself up into a state of confidence. "But first, you have a few things to tell us. Like what on earth happened tonight and why we were used as bait. Did you catch the mole and do we have to worry about other psychos coming after us?"

The billionaire rolled his eyes. Well, he supposed it was fair. "Okay, fine. You know, you're right. You do have a right to know." He paused at a look from Phil Coulson. "He's absolutely right," he defended. "Apparently keeping them in the dark hasn't done much to keep them out of trouble so we might as well just tell them what we know."

Natasha gave Phil a bit of a nudge. "You know he's right. Keeping them in the dark hasn't kept them safe."

Phil had to admit they were both right. "Very well," he sighed. "Yes, we did plug the leak. The unfortunate thing is the mole committed suicide before we could get much out of him. But what we did get from his is both disturbing and problematic."

"Hail Hydra," Natasha whispered. "We heard over the comm link. This complicates things."

The last time they'd gone up against Hydra, they'd nearly witnessed the entire destruction of New York City. In fact, they were still trying to repair all of the damage. And, every now and again, some alien tech left over from the battle could be found being used by people who had no idea what they'd gotten their hands on. It had created quite the problem.

Fred seemed to shiver at the word. His dad had told him stories of Hydra, and he'd heard the name mentioned by Tony when he'd last visited. Not to mention what history books had to say about the matter, not that they'd actually used that name, but he knew which atrocities to equate with them thanks to a more open than usual education. "That is definitely not good," he admitted.

A shadow filled the doorway as Dr. Bruce Banner joined them. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized, looking more than properly chagrined. "When you guys didn't need my help downstairs, I decided to take a little stroll around the block just to make sure the coast was clear." He didn't mention how he'd Hulked up when attacked by a second group of would be extractionists. "What did I miss?"

Tony cleared his throat. "We were just discussing how Hydra appears to be behind the kidnappings of our two little missing friends." He scratched at his nose, his sandwich long finished. "And while that does present some very serious problems, there are a few other things we should be discussing tonight. After all, we still don't even have a clue as to where they're keeping them."

Wasabi held up his hands. "Whoa! Whoa! Hang on there a minute! You still haven't explained to us why we were used as bait and everything else. So far we only know the name of whoever was after us and that you plugged the leak. We deserve details."

Natasha gave her companions a knowing look. "We used you as bait because we knew they would go after you," she reasoned. "We figured there was still a mole in the Tower after these people somehow managed to find you in Central Park. It seemed the easiest way to kill two birds with one stone. Tony's actually the only one who knew where you were hiding the whole time. He didn't even tell us."

"As for what happened tonight," Phil spoke up, "we did exactly what I'm sure Tony told you we would do. We monitored all means of communication to determine when they would strike and took them down. The fact that we had a little unexpected help from your group was interesting to say the least." He gave GoGo a look. "But it was a risk we felt worth the reward. And, as the others have said, we caught the mole."

Wasabi got up from his seat and marched over to Coulson, getting right in his face. "Well, the next time you decide to use us as your bait, you'd better let us know exactly what we're getting ourselves into because, otherwise, we're sitting it out. It's unconstitutional to put us at risk like that."

"Wasabi," Honey warned, looking more worried than anything. It wasn't unusual for her companion to get upset about conventionalities, but it was a little unusual for him to get into someone's face like that.

GoGo rolled her eyes as she finished her food. This was all fine and dandy but wasn't getting them anywhere. It was about time to take the conversation by the reins and redirect it. "Did you look into that Kendrick woman?" she asked, staring pointedly at Stark.

The other Avengers looked a bit confused, mouthing the name at each other with questioning looks on their faces. Well, except for Phil. He looked as cool as a cucumber, even without the sunglasses on his face.

When Tony didn't immediately answer, JARVIS took it upon himself to do so for the billionaire. "When asked to look into this individual, I found some interesting discrepancies," he announced. "Ms. Kendrick, while employed by Haedria Tech, seems to rarely appear in public. Her physical address is unknown. According to the Social Security database, she appears to have been dead for at least ten years. And there is no record of her name being reissued for use in any witness protection program."

That announcement brought up a lot of eyebrows. "However, going off of the information given, she appears to be a real person. In fact," and an image projected into the air in the middle of the group, "she attended the welcome banquet for the student expo. As you may recall, she sat at the same table as the two men who aided in the eventually successful kidnapping of Kally and Hiro."

The image he showed was the same one Stark had already seen in his office. There were the two men who'd scoped out Hiro's table at the banquet. And sitting next to them, as if completely oblivious, was Ms. Kendrick. "I identified her based off of the credentials given at the door to this event," JARVIS continued.

"More recently, I was able to confirm that Ms. Kendrick has recently been seen in the area. Her image was captured on several street cameras." He pulled up the footage as proof. She could be seen through an open window of a car that was parked near Broadway and 7th. "She was also seen entering and leaving the Millennium Broadway Hotel. However, if she is currently checked in at that location, it is under a different name."

Phil mulled over this information. Chances were good she was somehow connected, though he wasn't sure why they'd requested information on her in her first place. "I'll have some of my people investigate," he promised. "But if her mission failed, chances are good she's already left the area."

No one said it out loud, but the idea that Ms. Kendrick was somehow involved in the recent kidnapping attempt hung in the air. Tony cleared his throat. "You didn't happen to discover where she came from or where she was heading, did you?" He glanced at the image still in the middle of the room.

"Unfortunately, no," JARVIS replied, correctly guessing he was the one being addressed. "The car in question is a rental. The name on the agreement is fictitious even if well backstopped. I believe she may have switched vehicles under the cover of darkness where there were no video cameras as I saw the rental enter a dark area. Moments later, a second vehicle left the area, though I was unable to capture any information on it outside of it being a dark sedan of no particular make or model. I do not believe they wished to be discovered and likely used some kind of cloaking technology."

Natasha looked far from pleased with this news. "Which means it's going to be next to impossible to figure out where they went or if it's in the same location as our missing assets." But then she turned to GoGo. "How did you know to ask about her?"

It had finally come back around to what they'd promised to tell even though they still didn't exactly want to. The Big Heroes exchanged somewhat nervous glances, all except for GoGo, who remained as unreadable as usual.

"I requested Tony look into the woman after obtaining information that connects her with the kidnapping," Baymax admitted. "As you may recall, Kally Carmichael created an artificial intelligence called Sammy. She and I have been exchanging information for the past forty-eight hours."

Coulson took this opportunity to glance meaningfully at Tony. "And why didn't you tell me Ms. Carmichael had a fully functional AI?" He knew about the simple one for her expo booth and had his team look it over, just to make sure no one had tampered with it. But the fact that Tony had neglected to let him know about this other program was a little hurtful.

Tony shrugged. "It never came up. She only mentioned it the once and that was before all of this craziness began so I didn't really think about it until now." That wasn't strictly true as he knew Kally's program had sent the original message letting him know where to find his guests after they'd lost sight of them in Central Park.

It made a certain kind of sense, Coulson supposed so he decided to let it go. For now. "Please continue," he requested, looking at Baymax once more.

Baymax seemed to nod. "Sammy was able to capture an image of one of Hiro and Kally's captors when she momentarily took up residence in Hiro's phone. However, deciding it would be best to find a better host, she merged with my memory before the vehicle in question could get out of range."

The billionaire felt for his pocket, realizing he still had Hiro's phone on him. He'd subconsciously kept it in his pocket the whole time. He guiltily realized there were several missed calls from Cass Hamada.

While Tony was busy mulling over this new development, Baymax brought up the image in question and projected it on his stomach. However, once JARVIS had scanned it, he projected it into the middle of the room, replacing the previous images. There was no doubt as to the woman's identity, even though she was in the middle of pulling a red-haired wig off her head. The angle was bad though, so they couldn't see much else besides that. The phone had to have fallen out of Hiro's pocket.

"Sammy managed to take this picture before they exchanged cars to throw any trackers off their trail," Baymax continued. "As you can see, it is entirely possible she tried to disguise herself as Ms. Romanoff. It is my theory that she lured them away from the area in this disguise before drugging them both."

Natasha stood to study the picture, one hand under chin. "It makes sense. If they were somehow able to watch the house, they'd know when both Hiro and Kally exited it. And as they were both in an agitated state, it would make sense to try and use that against them. There were some signs of a struggle near the area close to the road, which suggests one or the other saw through the disguise before they were drugged."

Phil moved to join Natasha as he also scrutinized the photo. "What I want to know is where this AI is now." He took a step back and looked directly at Baymax.

Baymax glanced towards his teammates before looking straight ahead once more. He blinked a few slow blinks while he asked Sammy's permission to give away further details. Finally, he took a waddling step forward. "Sammy is still residing inside my central processing unit. She says she would prefer to stay there until more suitable arrangements can be made."

Well, there went any idea Coulson had of trying to encourage the program to transfer to a more secure location, somewhere in SHIELD custody. It was just as well, he supposed. So long as Baymax resided in Stark Tower, they both would remain safe.

GoGo cleared her throat as she looked meaningfully towards her team mates. This was, by no means, the only thing they'd promised to divulge to the others. And now was probably the best time to get it off their chests. GoGo just didn't want to be the one to do it.

Fred took the hint and decided to take it upon himself as he set his now empty plate aside. He'd had a few sandwiches and felt better for it; even if his backside still hurt from the antibiotics they'd given him downstairs. He cleared his throat, his good hand covering his mouth so he wouldn't spray any crumbs. "So uh...," he hazarded, resisting the urge to twiddle his thumbs. His shoulder still pinged when he moved awkwardly, though he hoped that would soon end.

All eyes turned towards Fred as he seemed to turn a light shade of pink under his skin. While he liked being in the spotlight, he hadn't exactly thought it would be under these circumstances. And since he was essentially just about to let the whole bundle of cats out of the bag, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility along with it. That and it was something he and his friends had promised never to disclose to anyone, not even Aunt Cass.

Tony gave him a discerning look as JARVIS removed the images still projected in the room. It seemed they were finally coming to the meat of the matter his young friends had wanted to tell him earlier. Not wanting to discourage any of them, he didn't say anything, but he sat forward on his perch, waiting to hear what all they might have to say.

"So uh..." Fred tried again, looking less than comfortable with the assembled Avengers staring at him. "Remember my whole super hero phase?"

GoGo rolled her eyes, deciding to not resist the urge to tease him. "What phase? Those comic books are your life."

Fred gave her a look, though it had helped loosen him up a bit. "Well, aside from that." He cracked a smile at his girlfriend. "Anyway, uh... what I wanted to say was have you been following the news from over in my neck of the woods?"

The adrenaline junky let out an exasperated growl. "Out with it already!"

Hearing GoGo's order, Fred decided to just spill the beans. "What I mean is we're the Big Hero 6 from San Fransokyo."

Tony's mouth dropped open in shock as he stared at his friend. "What?" He somehow found it really hard to believe that this relatively mild-mannered, albeit energetic kid was claiming to be a super hero. The fact that he'd heard of the Big Heroes was beside the point. The idea that Fred Whitmore was one of them seems so absolutely ludicrous he couldn't help but stare.

"Well this is going well," GoGo commented as she folded her arms and blew a gum bubble. Apparently Iron Man didn't believe them. "Maybe we should have stopped by our rooms on the way up," she quipped.

Natasha took in all the visual information at her disposal, including the reactions of all around her, especially of the other students in the room. "Tony, I don't think he's joking," she stated as she glanced from person to person.

"Indeed, he is not," JARVIS chimed in. "I knew they were members of the Big Hero 6 team the moment they entered Stark Tower with their luggage."

Tony drummed his fingers on his thigh, looking less than pleased with this turn of events as he mentally counted out the number of students he'd been hosting and compared them with the number of the super hero team in question. "And you didn't tell me because...?"

"I did not deem it necessary at the time," JARVIS replied.

But by then Tony had turned back to Fred. "Don't tell me Hiro is a member of your team as well." The idea somehow made him squirm inside. Super hero work wasn't something just any one should be doing. Yes those in the room with him were legally adults, but Hiro was still a minor. There was no way he could allow that to happen.

GoGo pushed away from her position to stand by Fred. "Actually, Hiro's the one who started the whole team," she corrected. "We did it to honor his brother, Tadashi. Sure, at first it was just a way to figure out who'd killed him, but it became so much more. We've been at it for several years now."

Even Coulson looked equal parts alarmed, surprised, and impressed with this admission. He knew the lifestyle was not an easy one. And the fact that they were all still in college made it even more so. But it still begged to question how they could allow someone that young to convince them to become super heroes.

Honey smiled and gave a little wave when Natasha looked her way. "I know it may be a lot to handle," she admitted, "but it's true. Hiro created all of our gear and keeps us all on the same page."

Natasha looked more than a little impressed. "So Hiro's the infamous Big Hero Number One." It made a certain kind of sense, with everything she'd just heard. The leader of the team seemed the smallest of them all, always riding on his cherry red, armor-clad companion. Now that she thought about it, she realized that armor-clad hero had to be Baymax. He was about the right size for it.

"Picard and his people had the same problem accepting a teen leader too," GoGo said under her breath. But she refrained from explaining her comment even with the odd looks turned her way.

"In honor of Tadashi, our motto is 'someone has to help'," Honey continued, diverting their attention from GoGo's comment. Part of her wondered if at least Tony would inquire about Picard later, though she hoped he wouldn't.

Tony shook his head as it all fell into place, ignoring the mention of someone else potentially knowing their secret, for now. "So he turned his brother's healthcare bot into a crime fighting machine," he stated, not sounding impressed. "Doesn't that go against his programming as a healthcare companion?"

Wasabi decided it was his turn to chime in. "Not really. Baymax protects our team and often acts as our medic. Our overall goal is to do as little harm as possible while stopping the bad guys. I admit I wasn't convinced about the whole thing at first, but it works. None of us want to hurt anyone, but we want to help keep as many people as we can from being hurt too. And we seem to be doing a pretty decent job of it. Nothing you say is going to make us stop either so don't even bother trying to convince us to."

Coulson couldn't help but look over at Tony to see how he'd react to that. "It would seem you're all pretty determined about this. But I can't help but wonder why you're telling us this now."

"Because we plan on helping you rescue Hiro and Kally. Duh," GoGo admonished with an eye roll. "I thought that would be obvious."

Thor, who had remained pretty silent until now, turned towards Tony and the others. "It is a reasonable request. Their actions this day have convinced me of their loyalty and courage."

But Natasha shook her head. "Loyalty and courage are wonderful things to have, but they're nowhere near enough to go up against something like Hydra. Grown men with more than ten times their experience have died at Hydra's hand."

"This isn't a negotiation," GoGo stated as she glared at the older adults all around. "You know as well as anyone that the more people you have the better our chances of getting the job done."

"So long as those numbers include people who know what they're doing and are prepared to handle what we'll be going up against," Natasha countered. "I can't condone you joining forces with us."

GoGo kicked back on the sofa next to Fred. "With our without your approval, we're still going to help. You can't stop us. We have a heck a lot more experience than you know. Besides, we're not about to just sit idly by while you go out there and possibly get Hiro and Kally killed."

Tony had had more than enough by this point and he moved to stand over her, hands on hips with a full on disapproving glare. "If you think we're about to let a bunch of _kids_ , and yes I say kids, get in the line of fire, then you've got another thing coming. The answer is no."

Coulson went to place a hand on Tony's shoulder, reining him in just a little. "Now let's hold off on that decision a moment until we've had an opportunity to gather all the pieces," he insisted. "We're all emotional right now, and tired. Neither of which makes for a great mood for difficult decisions. We can talk about this more in the morning. In the meantime, I suggest everyone try and get some sleep."

"I agree with Coulson," Thor indicated as he held up Mjolnir. "Sleep is essential at this point. As we are no closer to knowing where to look, it will not hurt for us to look at things in a more objective manner in the light of day."

Banner got to his feet, clapping his hands against his knees as he did. "Well, now that that's settled, I'd like to find a change of clothes and crash for the night."

Tony looked like he was about to disagree but Coulson gave his shoulder an extra hard squeeze to deter any further nonsense from coming out of his mouth. "Fine," he relented. "But I'm not promising anything." He gave the Big Heroes meaningful looks as they got to their feet to leave the room. "And don't even think of leaving the Tower again until we get this all sorted out. You hear me?"

"Yes, dad," GoGo snarked under her breath as she walked past the billionaire. She had Fred in tow, one arm around his waist as they headed towards the elevator.

Tony turned to raise a warning finger at her tone, even though her back was now to him. "I mean it! I'll have JARVIS make sure you're locked in your rooms if I have to!"

Natasha came over and gave him comradely pat on the arm. "Let it go," she advised. "I doubt they'll be going anywhere tonight." She didn't need to remind him of the large possibility they'd all crash once they got into their rooms. The adrenaline rush was more than over and their bodies and minds were more than likely ready to call it a night.

Iron Man sighed, realizing she was right. "This isn't the end of the matter," he warned, trying to get the last word in as his companions went off to their own designated sleeping areas, leaving him alone in the room. It was only after they'd all left that he realized they hadn't really touched on Hiro's PTSD and what had caused it, though, as a leader of a super hero team, it wasn't too hard to guess at possible reasons.


	48. Impossible to Predict

Hiro felt a little better when Dr. Bosch decided he wasn't going to dunk him in a tub full of ice after all. The swelling had gone down a lot during the night, which allowed the doctor to put an actual brace on Hiro's legs to better allow the fractures to heal. That and he'd fabricated a 3D brace for his broken arm that should, like Deana Troi's, help his arm heal faster. Dr. Bosch opted to forgo using a cast on either limb so he could remove the stitches when the time came. It was also less bulky. There was also the possibility he'd still implant either some kind of rod in each bone, or use pins to hold the fractures in place, which meant a cast would just get in the way.

The teen genius couldn't help but feel grateful for both of these concessions though. One, he didn't like the idea of being dunked into a tank of ice cold water. Even though he still wanted to see real snow one of these days. And two, casts were itchy and uncompromising. He'd had one as a child when he'd broken an ankle trying to use his brother's skateboard. The fact that Tadashi even had one was interesting to say the least, but it had been fun, up until he'd biffed it on the sidewalk and almost got run over by a car. He didn't like the idea of additional surgery to put in pins.

Unfortunately, Dr. Bosch insisted that the feeding tube stayed, regardless of Hiro's now conscious state. He didn't like how thin Hiro still was, or how dehydrated, which meant the IV stayed too. Apparently fluids just went right through him. It probably would have stayed anyway as it continued to steadily drip antibiotics into his system on top of the saline solution and painkillers. It was a precaution even Hiro could agree with after all his body had gone through.

But, even with the feeding tube in place, the good doctor required Hiro to try and actually eat something every couple of hours. It was nothing too crazy, a small cup of pudding, or some mashed potatoes. Everything offered was soft and easily eaten. He told Hiro he didn't want him to completely rely on the tube so he could eventually remove it without worry. He was only mildly surprised they didn't mix up some kind of smoothies made from raw veggies or something.

Loki had yet to reappear, which meant Hiro had to find something to occupy himself with. He wasn't allowed out of bed for at least another two days, not that it would have done any good since he couldn't really walk with opposite legs in practically full leg-length braces. They didn't want to risk opening up any of his internal injuries again. That and the braces made it hard to do much of anything. But at least the oxygen was gone for now. He just needed to convince Dr. Bosh the EEG leads could go too. So far the answer was no. But they were as annoying as he'd get out, though he kept telling himself he had to be good or they'd likely sedate him again. That was never pleasant. It always left a nasty taste in his mouth when he came to again, not to mention the disorientation that came with it.

Dr. Bosch insisted those sticky pads of doom stay, mostly because he wanted to make sure Hiro didn't have another episode. It didn't help that he still didn't have Baymax, which meant his usual anchor was missing from his life. He couldn't wait to get him back and leave this circus. And, of course, the EEG readings gave Dr. Bosch some sort of idea of how Hiro's brain worked. He just hoped the doctor wasn't going to use that to some evil end.

The thing that really sucked was that, despite the painkillers he'd been given, he still felt like Yama's men had pummeled the life out of him. There were bruises galore that he knew he'd feel for weeks before they finally healed. On top of his, he knew, from experience, that it would take at least six weeks for his fractures to heal as well. This, of course, didn't bode well for any potential escape plans. He'd have to rely on anyone he could to get out of there. Fingers crossed, Dr. Bosch was actually serious about helping him, along with Loki. Otherwise, it would be a really short venture, with consequences he wasn't sure he wanted to contemplate just yet.

Just as Hiro was contemplating what all an escape might entail, the door to the room opened from the hallway. He couldn't help but tense as he saw the familiar outline in the doorway, his heart speeding up, along with his breathing. There was no time to pretend to be out of it. The woman had already seen him, like a deer in headlights.

Ms. Kendrick strode into the room like an angry freight train. "Dr. Bosch!" she all but yelled as she made her way to within a few feet of Hiro's part of the room. "I want to see you out here now!" She stopped about three feet away from Hiro's bed, every inch of her bristling as she glared at him like everything wrong with the world was his fault.

The doctor exited his office at her call. He quickly glanced over at Hiro as the EKG gave off a faint alarm. Ms. Kendrick's return was both untimely and detrimental to his patient's overall health. "Ms. Kendrick, please call down," he requested as he walked over to her and tried to escort her towards his office. "Why don't we talk somewhere in private?"

But Ms. Kendrick was not willing to be deterred as she stood her ground. She knew if the doctor tried forcing her, he would be in even more trouble than he already was. "This is unacceptable!" Her eyes flashed as she pointed one rigid finger towards the bed. "You were supposed to be monitoring him to make sure nothing like this happened!"

Hiro found it somehow harder to breathe as negative energy seemed to ripple off the woman in front of him. It was like a dark miasma that threatened to engulf him and eat him whole. He gasped, his eyes wide as he tried to fight back the panic trying to claw its way up through his mind. He couldn't let it win. Not again.

A medic ran from a back room at the sound of the alarm. She quickly noted Dr. Bosch being detained by Ms. Kendrick, then dismissed them from her mind to attend to the immediate emergency. She tilted the bed to a more upright position to try and ease Hiro's airways, though it didn't seem to do much good.

Dr. Bosch made to go assist her but Ms. Kendrick grabbed him, digging her claws into his arm. "I'm not finished," she admonished. Her strength went against the typical norm, though it didn't entirely surprise the doctor when he recalled just what they'd had to do to save her all those years before.

He watched as the medic pressed an oxygen mask against Hiro's nose and mouth, hoping that would help ease the boy's distress, though he couldn't help but think Ms. Kendrick's appearance had a lot to do with it. "Can this wait?" He couldn't help but feel like the woman was trying to punish the both of them.

"No, it can't." Ms. Kendrick's eyes returned his concerned gaze with one of steel. It probably didn't help that her mission had failed. They hadn't been able to retrieve the nurse bot the teen was so fond of and it infuriated her. "How are we supposed to finish this assignment now?!" Her grip tightened, threatening to crack his bones. "I hold you entirely responsible for this."

Hiro saw black spots before his eyes at this point. The words Ms. Kendrick spoke seemed to only throttle his already closed off throat. Logically, he knew one of two things had to happen. He either had to give in to the panic and hope he came out on the other side, or hope whoever he saw out of the corner of his eye could make his body behave. Either way, it wasn't going to be pretty. He could already feel a plethora of sensations that were far from desirable.

In fact, now that he thought about it, his stomach was hurting more than it should. Had he managed to pull something in his short throes of trying to breathe? It was hard to tell, especially since he wasn't entirely sure what all was going on or what all he'd done to himself. He was too busy thinking about this to worry about what might be going on around him, blocking out harsh words as much as possible while he tried to evaluation his condition.

A thin trickle of air made its way into his lungs and he gulped at it like a starving man goes after food. It reminded him so much of feeling like he was drowning, water gurgling up in his chest as his brother tried to perform mouth to mouth on the beach. Definitely not pleasant. The next thing he knew, he was gasping and choking.

Hiro closed his eyes. This wasn't quite like the usual episodes he had and he knew it. If only Baymax were there to help him calm down. He would tell him to breathe in slowly, hold his breath for a few seconds before exhaling, then to repeat that process until the edge wore off. In fact, if he thought about it, he could almost hear the robot instructing him to do just that.

"That's it. Nice and slow. In and out."

His entire body trembled as he followed the instructions.

_It will be all right. There. There._

It took some effort, but Hiro could finally feel his body slowly come back under control. His heart didn't pound quite so harshly against his rib cage, the sensation of liquid sloshing around in his lungs subsiding. He actually felt a little sick, now that he thought about it. The next thing he knew, he was throwing up the contents of his stomach, which actually made his gut feel better than it had only a few minutes before.

He finished upending the contents of his stomach into a basin someone held for him before falling weakly back against the pillows. He shivered a little, cold sweat covering his body. But at least he could breathe. And somewhere in all that craziness, he knew the feeding tube had been removed. He just couldn't remember it happening, though he could decidedly feel the difference, even though the cannula was back in place. And everything from his chest down hurt like a train wreck.

Someone dabbed something that felt like cloth against his forehead. He didn't dare open his eyes as he focused on breathing, in and out. That's what Baymax always told him to do when he felt overwhelmed, just focus on breathing. He just hadn't had an anxiety attack like that before and it was more than a little unnerving.

Oxygen flowed down into his lungs and Hiro soon found he didn't need to focus on breathing as his body decided to take over once more. He did find, however, that his throat felt like he had a frog in it and he had to clear it a few times before it felt somewhat normal once more. At that point, he decided it was okay to open his eyes.

Ms. Kendrick was gone. He had no idea how Dr. Bosch had managed to get rid of the woman but he was more than grateful. The intensity of her agitation had scared him more than anything else he could think of, with maybe the exception of having to reintegrate all those memories, reliving his failures over and over again. And he was still reliving them.

"Can I have some water?" Hiro rasped at the medic who was still checking over all his leads and tubing. Dr. Bosch had disappeared as well and he could only wonder what the two had discussed while he tried to regain control of his mind. One thing was certain; this place was bad for his health.

The medic turned to leave without answering Hiro's request. She didn't even seem to hear him as the teen reached out a hand to potentially try and stop her. But the gesture also went unheeded. It almost seemed as if the medic's ears had somehow turned deaf or Hiro's voice had been muted, even though Hiro knew he could hear himself speaking. So why couldn't the medic?

A dark figure seemed to coalesce into existence where the medic had stood only moments before, a decidedly familiar figure. "Loki," Hiro gasped in shock. Had this man somehow managed to mute him to the rest of whoever was around him?

Loki gave a faint wave followed by a lazy smile. "Looks like you're getting into more trouble," he observed. "Just what did you do to make that vile woman so upset?"

Hiro rolled his eyes. "As if you have to ask," he retorted in kind, wishing for that drink of water. His throat felt thick after all his unusual abdominal activity. Not to mention the burning sensation from stomach acid. "I managed to put myself out of commission."

"Ah." The god of mischief's eyes lit up at that. "I see. Yes, I believe that would make someone in her position quite upset." He somehow seemed pleased with the idea. "You know, the more I learn about you, the more I seem to like you."

Hiro couldn't help but give him an odd look. "Thank you? I think?" He tried to adjust his broken arm to a more comfortable position. It was a bit easier than it might have been since the medic had left his bed more elevated than usual. It didn't, however, stop his abdomen from hurting.

Loki genuinely smiled this time as he moved closer to where Hiro's head rested. "Oh you should take it as the highest of compliments. I don't usually feel that way about others, you see. In fact, I'm rather surprised by it myself. You and Kally seem an odd pair in this world of primitive mortals. In fact, I'm not entirely sure you are mortal." At this confession, he seemed to look more thoughtful as he studied the teen, one hand under his chin.

Feeling like a bug under a magnifying glass, Hiro found it hard not to squirm. He knew he wasn't strictly 'normal' anymore. Not after all he'd been through. He just wasn't sure he knew what all that entailed. The fact that he still bled and suffered from the typical mortal ailments hadn't negated the idea of him just being really smart and just a little different from the typical person. Then, of course, there was his DNA, which he knew was altered. He just didn't know what all that might entail, or how much it had changed.

"No," Loki mused, "I really don't think you are exactly mortal at all. At the very least, not typically so. But there is something about you that makes me almost think of someone I know. I just can't quite put my finger on it." And it did truly seem to vex him that he couldn't. But he decided to shrug it off. "Well, I suppose it doesn't matter in the here and now, now does it."

Hiro was decidedly not sure what to make of this interesting development. "Um..." he said in response, not sure if Loki wanted one or not. "So, you said you were coming up with a way to get us out of here?" He looked more than a little uncomfortable with the sudden silence.

That seemed to perk Loki up as his shoulders relaxed from the forward slouch he'd used earlier. "Ah yes," he nodded. "I have Kally working on a way to communicate with your friends that won't include me in the whole scenario. You see, I'm not exactly welcome in the circles you've been mingling in as of late. It wouldn't do to have them thinking things that aren't true of the situation, and there are a few people I would decidedly like to avoid if at all possible." Thor was one of them. Dr. Banner was another, especially in the Hulk form. He shuddered at the idea.

The teen nodded. It would be more likely that Kally could come up with something at the moment, more so than he could. She at least had access to a computer, and two working hands. He just hoped no one would realize she wasn't working on the intended project and do something about it. This was a dangerous game they were playing and he really hoped they'd come out on top. But there were so many variables and unknowns, it was impossible to predict one way or another.

Hiro let out a sigh as he contemplated the enormity of what they were trying to achieve. Well, it was certainly better than just sitting around, which was sort of what he was doing anyway. But he had to heal as much as possible. It was a shame he hadn't managed to gain any kind of healing abilities with all of his crazy excursions. That would have been really useful, but he'd take what he could get. His mind was like a super computer, when it worked properly. He might as well make use of it while he was coherent.

"Speaking of that, you didn't happen to figure out where they're keeping whatever it is that's keeping us outside of normal space have you?" He wasn't even sure if Loki would even know what to look for, though he decided not to question it. And thinking about those things kept him from remembering the pain.

"Hmm?" Loki looked up at that question, glad to have something else to think about other than what might happen if he should run into the Hulk again. "It's possible," he added when he realized what Hiro was asking. "There are several different areas with more than heavy security. That or they have some top secret project they're working on, or those areas house more sensitive things they don't want touched. Either way, they seem worth investigating."

Hiro couldn't help but feel intrigued by that notion. If only he had computer access to the whole system, he might be able to figure out what they were hiding without actually leaving his bed, which didn't look like happening any time soon. His physical limitations were definitely something he had to find a way around if they were going to get anywhere. Of course, chances were good it would take his friends a while to figure out a way to rescue them as well. He had no idea where they were currently, but chances were also good it would take them a while to get here as well. It would be so much easier if he could devise some kind of device that could cut through all this random crap, but he was without tools and physical ability to manipulate them even if he had them.

It would be even better if he wasn't currently stuck in a bed with the plethora of injuries he'd managed to sustain. All things considered, though, it could have been a lot worse. It just sucked that he'd have to rely on the others to get them out of this pickle. It was a fact he was getting heartily sick of it all. Not that he'd exactly had to rely on his friends to get him out of other situations, though he sort of had to to some extend, but he at least usually seemed to add more to events than what he could now. Well, there was no point in feeling sorry for himself. That wouldn't get them anywhere.

Loki seemed to content to let Hiro's thoughts run their course. It was obvious he was doing some kind of serious thinking of his own by the expression on his face. And he could only imagine what of kind image this all presented to the lad. It would be almost a kindness to use his abilities to send him into a false sense of security, pulling up happy memories for him to relive over and over again. But that hadn't worked, even for him when he'd lost his adoptive mother. Chances were good it wouldn't work for Hiro now so he let it be.

"I do need to check in with Kally," Loki reminded the youth. "I'm sure you'll be fine for a little while, though there will likely be a bit more hustle and bustle for a while. You seem to have scared a lot of people with your antics. It wouldn't surprise me if they decided to put you back in that machine to scan your body again. It's always possible you managed to worsen your injuries."

Joy, Hiro thought at that idea. He was decidedly getting to the point where he did not like the idea of being constantly put into that MRI tube. If he wasn't careful, he might start associating it with a lot more negative things he really shouldn't be contemplating at the moment. "No rest for the weary," he sighed, but Loki was gone by the time he turned back his way.


	49. Hard At Work

Kally typed doggedly away at the keyboard. She had to get this finished before one of the guards realized she wasn't working on the program. Thankfully, most of them seemed practically computer illiterate, though there were a few who appeared to have more knowledge than the average man. She could only hope the ones on duty today weren't the latter.

She'd spent most of the night coming up with the code, which left little room for sleep. And, as an unfortunate side effect, she found her concentration far from reliable. In fact, it had given her a bit of a headache. It wasn't migraine status by any means, but it still sucked. Maybe it was a tension headache, along with sleep deprivation. She knew a lot rode on this code she was typing out.

Thankfully, there was a data chip available for her use. She just wasn't sure how Loki was going to get it out of there without them finding out it was missing. She wasn't allowed to take them back to her room with her. Maybe it was their way of 'making sure' she didn't do anything stupid. It was probably best to let him figure out the details.

Her eyes drooped and she shook herself awake. This wouldn't do at all, she decided as she pushed away from the computer. She needed to get moving around or she really would fall asleep, something she felt sure wouldn't go over well with anyone.

To stave off her exhaustion, Kally began pacing the room, circling her computer station once before deciding to just walk back and forth. Going around the station threatened to make her dizzy in her current sleep-deprived state. Part of her wondered if this was how Hiro had felt when he'd worked himself into a frenzy. Except he'd stayed off sleep for other reasons, reasons she could only guess at. And it had been for a lot longer.

Kally's thoughts went towards her friend. There had to be more to what he'd experienced in life than just the loss of loved ones, even if his brother's death was relatively recent and tragic. She didn't think he was so mentally fragile as to let Tadashi's death affect him that much. No, there had to be something else going on. And the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to know just what it was and why.

The door to her lab opened and Ms. Kendrick strode into the room unannounced. "Hard at work, are we?" Her tone seemed almost mocking, her eyes glittering coldly as she folded her arms across her chest.

Kally stopped mid-stride to turn and face the woman. She couldn't help but feel a sense of malice towards her. She felt sure this woman had something to do with Hiro's difficulties. There was decidedly something not natural about her, she decided. "I just needed to stretch my legs," she replied. Ms. Kendrick's sudden appearance sent adrenaline rushing through her and she had to fight the urge to lash out in a physical manner. The usual guards were likely still just outside the doors and she wasn't sure she could take them in her current state. Not to mention the deterrent of the shock collar.

"I can see that," Ms. Kendrick stated without emotion. "And how is our little program doing? Have you finished it yet? Because if you haven't, you have no reason to be stretching your legs." She moved further into the room until she was right next to Kally where she could observe her more closely. "You're not finished, are you." Definitely not a question.

Kally resisted the urge to either take a step back or slam her elbow into the woman's midsection. Instead, she sucked in her breath. "No," she admitted. "I'm not."

Before she could say anything else, Ms. Kendrick backhanded her across the face. It felt like the strike from a fast moving snake, and was likely just as deadly. The blow sent her slamming into the wall, where she slid down to her rump in a bit of a heap. For some odd reason, it hurt more than she thought it should, almost as if she'd been smacked with steel instead of flesh and bone. In fact, now that she thought about it, she could taste blood in her mouth. She was just too shocked to feel anything at the moment.

The teen clenched her fists where Ms. Kendrick couldn't see them, under her thighs. Her shoulder throbbed from ramming into the wall with the blow. Just who was this woman?

"I suggest you get back to work." Ms. Kendrick glared at her for a moment longer before exiting the room. The door closed firmly behind her.

Kally had to take a moment to calm herself before unclenching her fists. Her fingers ached from the pressure and she had to shake them out. Her next task was to feel her face, which revealed a lovely welt covering most of her right cheek. The blood she tasted came from her teeth cutting into the soft tissue inside of her mouth and she resisted the urge to spit. There wasn't anywhere she could get rid of the blood in her mouth without getting it all over the floor. At least not on this side of the room. There was a trashcan on the other side but she'd have to stand up first.

Taking further stock, Kally felt relieved to learn her teeth were still all intact, which she deemed a miracle in of itself. Unfortunately, the shock collar had rubbed against her neck from the whiplash her unexpected flight had caused. She felt the friction burn with trepidation using her right hand. At least there wasn't any blood there, though it still hurt, especially since it was where the collar would continually rub at it. She'd have to find a way to pad that or it would actually cut into her flesh.

It took a bit of an effort to stand. She again had to use her right arm to support herself as the left seemed a bit unresponsive. It throbbed, something she hoped would only be temporary. The area around her shoulder pinged uncomfortably; making her wonder if it hadn't been forced out of place. That would be less than fun. She'd never had a dislocated shoulder before and wasn't sure if she had one now, but man did it hurt.

She grimaced as she held her arm. It hung uselessly at her side like it had lost its will to live, but it didn't feel like it was broken. Part of her wondered how she'd managed to clench that fist though. She'd broken bones before as a child. This didn't feel the same. But it also meant she wasn't going to be working on the computer any time soon. It was probably a good thing she'd finished her little side project before Ms. Kendrick had come and vented her frustration on her. All she had to do now was transfer it to the data chip and hope Loki showed up soon to collect it. But why was the woman so mad? Had something else happened?

Kally made her way back over to the desk, cradling her arm. She fell heavily into the chair. The motion jostled things a bit and she hissed through her teeth as she pushed through the pain. It was better to get this done now than to wait until Loki showed up. Chances were good they'd leave her alone for a bit. But first she made an awkward grab for the trash can and spit her mouthful of blood into it. Too bad she didn't have any water to rinse her mouth out, but she'd make due. It wouldn't be the first time she'd swallowed blood, though it might make her stomach upset in a bit. There was more blood than she cared to admit, even if the flow had abated to more of a trickle. Mouths healed quickly, thankfully.

With a bit of an effort, she found the data chip and pushed it into the port. Working with one hand, she typed out the necessary commands to copy the data over. That taken care of, she sat back and waited for the computer to finish doing its thing. Since she wasn't sure how long it might take, she closed her eyes, wincing as she accidentally jostled her currently useless arm.

Part of her couldn't help but wonder why no one had come in to check on her after Ms. Kendrick's little tirade. Wasn't it obvious she'd been injured? Surely whoever was watching all the cameras had seen what had happened and had realized she was no longer able to be as productive as before. What was wrong with these people? Maybe they were more afraid of Ms. Kendrick than they were of anything else. That or they just didn't care.

"Is that the data chip?"

Kally almost jumped out of her chair at the sound of Loki's voice coming from behind her. She hissed at the unexpected movement, cradling her shoulder. "Did you really have to do that?" She used her feet to turn the chair around to look at the god of mischief, her cheek still quite swollen from being hit.

Loki's eyes narrowed and he reached out a hesitant hand. "Who did this to you?" His fingers gently traced her welted skin, noting how she cradled her left arm.

The teen's eyes welled up at his concern, his tone more than expressing his emotions on the matter. For the briefest of moments, he reminded her of her dad and she wanted nothing more than to throw herself into his arms to tell him how the other kids were mean to her. She resisted the urge though, biting the inside of her uninjured cheek instead as she looked at the floor.

"Who did this to you?" Loki repeated as he gently raised her chin so he could look her in the eyes. His eyes were no longer narrowed but wide in shock and disbelief. He could still see the individual finger marks from whatever hand had smitten her. He could smell the metallic tang of blood in the air as he noted the presence of blood in the trash can where she'd spit. And there was no mistaking the pain in her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to mask it.

Kally couldn't resist any longer. Tears welled up and spilled over her lashes as she leaned forward and rested her head against Loki's torso, her body shaking. It hurt but she didn't care. The tears needed to come out.

Loki looked down in some alarm. This was so unexpected, he wasn't sure what to do. Instinct told him to put an arm around her shoulders, but logic suggested that would only make her injury worse. So he lightly patted her on the right shoulder with his left arm, hoping the episode wouldn't last long. He knew there wasn't anything he could say to make things better. But he could try and get her some medical attention.

The Asgardian closed his eyes briefly and a ripple of energy seemed to float away from him into the hallway. It was a trick he'd used many times before, creating a simulacrum of himself to achieve a goal he didn't want to or couldn't attend to in person. At least this way he could summon Dr. Bosch and hope to give this young half-Valkyrie some relief. Her emotional and mental comfort might not be achieved, but there was something to say about physical comfort.

"I'm sorry," Kally sniffed, her forehead still against Loki's chest. "I've tried to hold it in for so long. It just had to come out. I'm so weak." Her hair fell to either side of her shoulders, revealing her neck.

Loki looked down and noted the collar around her throat, and the red area where it had rubbed the skin raw. These mortals were even more cruel than he could be. They were pigs in comparison and he wished to spit on them all. But when he lightly touched the device, he knew it would be unwise to remove it without the proper tools. Instead, he gently took Kally's face in his hands as he took a step back. "Tears are not a sign of weakness," he said gently. "But of pain held too long inside. Trust me. I know."

Kally looked up at that. It was something her father had once said, and to have Loki say it to her now only made her think of her dad even more. She rubbed at her eyes with her right hand, wishing she had a tissue, but there weren't any at hand so she sniffled as best she could to keep her nose from running even more. "I hate crying," she admitted. "It only ever made the bullies more mean."

A desire to fiercely protect her welled up inside of Loki. "Only a fool bullies others," he said quietly. His eyes seemed distant and troubled as he stared off into space. But he just as quickly came back to himself as the door opened. "Ah, Dr. Bosch," he greeted as he stepped to one side. "Thank you for coming."

The doctor entered the room, looking a bit wary. He'd just come from making sure Hiro was sleeping. The teen had developed a fever after Ms. Kendrick's visit. He'd checked for other complications, including the potential of more internal injuries - of which there were none, thankfully - only to have an apparition basically tell him Kally needed him right away. And to see the real Loki in Kally's lab was only a bit unnerving as he'd thought he'd left the other one with Hiro. But he carried a small medical bag with him, something the other Loki had insisted he do.

"I see Ms. Kendrick has been at it again," Dr. Bosch sighed as he examined Kally's swollen cheek. He'd seen more than enough similar injuries to know who had inflicted it. "But it doesn't look too serious. The cuts inside should heal pretty quickly."

Something flickered in the depths of Loki's eyes at that announcement. He clenched his fists in his sleeves. "I fear she's managed to dislocate her shoulder as well," he supplied as the doctor placed a cold compress against Kally's cheek. He made a mental note to seek the accused woman out later.

At Loki's announcement, Dr. Bosch went to examine Kally's shoulder, nodding in confirmation. "I can set it, but you'll need to keep it quiet for a few days to heal." He hesitated to do anything though, contemplating the pros and cons of taking her back to the medical lab over staying where they were. He'd have to get her a sling either way. But, as none of the guards were responsible for alerting him to Kally's injuries, he decided it would probably be better to do what he could where they were. He didn't want to cause more trouble for the young programmer.

The doctor asked Loki to move to Kally's right side. "If I'm going to do this here, it will be that much easier if you hold her steady," he explained at the man's questioning look. "As for you," he addressed Kally, "this is going to hurt a lot. I'd give you something for the pain but don't have anything strong enough with me. And I don't think it would go over well if I were to move you from this room right now."

The far from subtle reminder of Ms. Kendrick's order to get back to work rang in Kally's mind. There was no way she wanted to have that woman come after her one more time. Chances were good she wouldn't be able to hold herself back, which would likely not end well. Instead, Kally nodded. "I'll try not to scream."

Dr. Bosch nodded to Loki, indicating for him to take hold of Kally's right shoulder from behind, one hand supporting her neck while he placed his hands around the joint of her left. "On three," he instructed. "One. Two. Three."

There was a loud snap as the joint went back into place, accompanied by a smothered gasp from Kally as she tried to not clench her teeth against the pain. She'd once heard doing that could make her break her jaw. So, instead, she'd pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth to try and keep her jaws from pressing too much together. More tears sprang to her eyes at the sharp throbbing the doctor's action produced. Thankfully, it subsided to a more manageable pulsation. All the same, she felt drained, her lack of sleep threatening to catch up with her.

"Just lean back against the chair now," Dr. Bosch soothed as he helped her do just that. "I'll arrange for a sling and painkillers, but I don't think you'll be doing much else today." He noted her white pallor as he picked up the fallen ice pack and offered it to her once more. "Perhaps you should alternate between your face and your shoulder with that," he advised.

Kally gingerly took the pack in her right hand, left arm cradled up against her chest. She placed it against her shoulder area, suddenly reminded how Fred also wore a sling on his left side. Well, that made a funny kind of irony in her mind and she let out a low laugh. "Doubt they'll take me back to my cell until it's time," she mentioned as the doctor returned instruments to his bag. He'd taken the liberty of checking her vitals once her joint had been set.

"Probably not," Dr. Bosch replied. "And I'm not sure I like the idea of you being left alone. Those cronies in the hall seem less inclined to do anything so I'm going to ask that you stay with her." He turned to Loki, giving him an unfathomable look. "Time runs different here, as I'm sure you've noticed. It won't hurt things to have you stay around for a bit longer, at least until they take her back to her room."

Loki bit his lip but found he had to agree. Kally didn't look like she would be doing much of anything. And whether those lackeys refused to do anything due to orders or fear of repercussions, he knew Dr. Bosch was right. Kally shouldn't be left alone just yet. But he'd be more than willing to go and learn what he could about this Ms. Kendrick before he left. The data chip still sat in the data port, waiting for him to take it. He could see it from where he stood. "I will," he promised.

Kally didn't say anything as she'd drifted off into an uneasy sleep, finally succumbing to her fatigue.


	50. Maternal Instincts

Honey Lemon stared up at the ceiling of her shared room. GoGo was asleep, probably. At least she hoped her friend was asleep. It looked like she was, though the adrenaline junky had gotten pretty good at pretending as of late. And it had been a pretty long, stressful day. By all right, she should also be asleep, but her mind didn't seem to want to cooperate.

The events of the day kept coming back to haunt her, even though the majority of the day had been spent avoiding the very people holding their friends captive. Part of her wondered if they might have been able to find their friends faster if they'd allowed at least one of them to get caught. But she then vehemently rejected the idea, knowing that if they couldn't track Hiro before, they wouldn't be able to track anyone else taken.

The Latina sighed as she rolled over. This was getting her nowhere. Yes they knew, more or less, who they were dealing with. And the idea shook her to the core. Hydra was a whole other league from what they'd dealt with before. Hiro had let them in on what he'd learned about them when he'd uncovered the files. They were like the Illuminati of villains, going back far longer than she cared to think about. And their deeds were far from fantastic. What were Hiro and Kally's chances of surviving their clutches?

No, she must not think like that, she scolded herself. Hiro was a survivor. He'd find a way. And she had a feeling Kally was the same. Besides, they'd only been missing for a few days now. Nothing too terrible could have happened to them, could it?

With her thoughts all in turmoil, Honey decided it would be better to go find a nice soothing cup of tea. Maybe that would help calm her thoughts and let her sleep. So she slipped out of bed and found her slippers while grabbing her robe. Chances were good not many people would be up at this time. At least she didn't think they would be. They'd all looked pretty tired. Well, maybe Thor didn't, and the Black Widow, but they were in a whole different league.

GoGo didn't so much as stir as Honey Lemon opened the door to their room, which meant she was probably asleep, Honey reasoned. She gently closed the door behind her and headed for the elevator. Even though they were only a few levels down from the penthouse, their floor still didn't exactly have a kitchen. But there was that open bar area where someone hopefully stocked tea.

"You're up rather late, Miss Honey," JARVIS stated as the elevator doors closed and the car rose.

Under any other circumstances, the sudden reminder of the AI's presence might have startled her, but she was too tired to jump at the reminder. "I couldn't sleep," she admitted. "I was hoping for some tea."

"I see. I will inform the others you are on your way up."

Before Honey could protest though, the elevator doors opened at the desired floor and stayed open while she stood debating on whether or not she really wanted to the company of anyone else or not. She took in a deep breath and stepped out into the small foyer, the doors immediately closing behind her. Apparently JARVIS thought she needed the company.

Natasha waited just on the other side of the small space, dressed down in something more comfortable then her usual Avenger garb. "Couldn't sleep either?" She moved to put an arm around Honey's shoulders, even if it was a little lower than her actual shoulder blades due to the height difference, and guided her into the large lounge. She led her right up to the bar and settled her into a stool. "What would you like? Tony would go for something alcoholic, but you strike me as more of a coffee and tea kind of girl."

Honey watched as the older woman walked around to the other side of the bar and started rummaging under the counter. "Tea, please," she responded. "I just need something to calm my thoughts a bit."

The Black Widow nodded as she got some water heating, a box of tea bags in hand. "Don't tell anyone, but I keep a secret stash of chamomile, just in case someone needs it. And believe me when I say, I'm not the only one who's needed it."

The Latina accepted a cup of tea when Natasha handed it over, waiting for the woman to walk back around and join her. She couldn't help but smile as she breathed in the tantalizing scent. "How do you do it?" she asked after several long moments of silence.

Natasha took a sip from her cup before answering. "Do what?" She glanced over at Honey without turning her head.

"Keep up everything," Honey responded, the mug still up to her lips. The steam just felt so good against her skin. While GoGo preferred paper or foam cups for her hot drinks, Honey liked porcelain more. There was something soothing about the smooth texture.

The older woman turned her stool a bit so she could watch her companion without discomfort. "Being a super hero?" All things considered, it made sense that they'd go in this direction. She'd been doing this for a lot longer. "I was practically raised from infancy to be what I am today, only my original purpose was to be an assassin and spy. The name Black Widow isn't just a play on words. It's who I am, who they made me become."

Honey thought she saw a hint of pain hidden in Natasha's eyes. Chances were good this woman had gone through a lot of hardship and pain while she was being molded and formed into the woman before her. "Was it painful?" The words slipped out before she could think about it.

Natasha gave her a sad smile. "There were a lot of things that happened that I wish hadn't, but I've managed. And I'm trying to make up for some of the mistakes I made in the past. That's why I decided to become an Avenger."

There was probably a lot more to it than that but Honey knew not to pry. "I guess going through some kind of pain is part of what makes you want to fight for those who can't," she mused. "When we first formed the Big Hero Six, we were just trying to bring Tadashi's killer to justice. We all made some mistakes, but we learned from them. And even though it was Hiro's idea that got us all started, I think he's the one who's suffered the most because of it."

Romanoff couldn't help but pick up on the mixed emotions in Honey's tone. "Are you saying being a super hero hasn't been good for him?" She wasn't sure if that's what the blonde meant but wanted to be sure.

Honey quickly put her cup down, waving her hands to try and mentally back up. "Oh no! It's nothing like that! It's just that Hiro's been almost a magnet for unusual things. And there have been a lot of them. For the most part, all we could do was sit back and hope things would work out. And some of those things we didn't even learn about until recently, which is probably what's causing him so many difficulties now."

Natasha pursed her lips. "I'm not sure I understand," she admitted as she took a sip from her mug. She then set it down. "What kind of things didn't you know about until recently?"

The chemist bit her lip. "I feel a little uncomfortable talking about it without Hiro or the others here," she admitted. "It's Hiro's story to tell, not mine."

It was fair, Natasha supposed. She didn't like it when others told her stories either. "Well, how about your stories? What do you feel you can share with me?"

Honey had to think about that one for a bit. There were a lot. And, of course, there were the larger ones that involved the Doctor, as well as Picard and his crew from an alternate dimension. But she didn't feel comfortable discussing them without the others. So, instead, she started talking about the smaller jobs, such as helping people escape collapsing buildings and stopping a mad bomber. She supposed it was okay to mention that Hiro had gotten shot, but to assure her audience that he'd only suffered from broken ribs. She wasn't about to add in that during that time Hiro had experiences a multitude of repeated timelines. But it did give some hints as to why Hiro had PTSD.

The two sat in companionable conversation, sharing lesser hectic adventures for over an hour. Natasha thought it only fair she contribute some of her experience as an Avenger since Honey was sharing some of her stories as a Big Hero.

"Miss Romanoff," JARVIS spoke up, breaking into their conversation, "I believe your attention is required at the ground level. The agents below have encountered a possible intruder trying to get into the building. She claims to be the aunt of Hiro Hamada."

Honey bolted upright from her chair. "Aunt Cass?" Her eyes were wide. "Can you show us an image of her?"

JARVIS complied, showing life footage of the small woman being detained by several guards. "Apparently she marched right up to the door, demanding to see Mr. Stark. However, Mr. Stark has not woken at my promptings. Would you like me to have them bring her up?"

Natasha looked over at Honey. "Is that Hiro's aunt? You're sure?"

Honey nodded vigorously. "There's no mistake. That's her, though I'm not sure why she's here. None of us told her something had happened and that's the only reason I can think of that would bring her out here. She doesn't normally close the cafe."

"I believe her presence may be explained by a lack of communication on her nephew's part after having Mr. Stark tell her he'd been granted a temporary internship as an excuse to extend his stay," JARVIS explained. "He has kept Hiro's phone on him since the kidnapping."

The chemist bit her lip. It made sense. Especially after Tadashi's death. Even though Cass still gave Hiro his space, she was a bit more protective of him than she had been before, asking his friends to keep an eye on him when she couldn't. And none of them had been in contact with Cass Hamada since arriving in New York. In fact, there were several ignored calls on each of their cell phones. Then it hit her. "You mean Mr. Stark lied to her?"

"That would be correct. I believe he was respecting Hiro's wishes to not let her know about recent events at this time. It is also possible he merely wanted to buy time to find him before reporting his kidnapping to her."

Honey shook her head. They obviously didn't know Cass Hamada like she and the others did. This was not going to end well.

Romanoff nodded. "Have her brought up here, after you're absolutely sure it's her. We don't need another mole in the building. But please request they do it gently. I'm sure she's already in a state of emotional upheaval and we don't need to contribute to it. I'll go wake Tony."

* * *

Cass Hamada was not about to be put out by these thugs who called themselves security personnel. And she was more than willing to be vocal about her displeasure at the process of confirming her identity they required. When they finally decided she was who she said she was, she was in more than a little tizzy. In fact, it almost seemed as though smoke came from her ears, her mouth set in a stern line, her brows lowered in anger. Someone was going to get it and she didn't care who.

Two men escorted her to the elevator, riding alongside her like she was some kind of prisoner they didn't cuff out of courtesy. Their black suits looked ridiculous, she decided, along with the sunglasses that were decidedly not needed. It was still only three in the morning!

She bit her tongue. It probably would have been better to come after the sun had risen, but she couldn't wait to find Hiro, hopefully safe and sound, after a way too long flight all the way across the country. She was more than a little jet-lagged, which only added to her already poor mood. That and her maternal instincts would not wait for her to check into a hotel room and catch some very much needed sleep. Something inside told her things were not as up and up as Mr. Stark had led her to believe. And after another full twenty-four hours of not being able to get through to either her nephew, or any of his friends, she'd closed shop and caught the first flight out. She'd give Mr. Stark the bill later.

Fists clenched, Cass mentally cursed at how slow the elevator seemed to go. The guards hadn't so much as answered a single question she'd asked. She still had no idea if her nephew and his friends were just ignoring her calls, had been in an area where they wouldn't go through, or if something else had happened. Well, she was about to find out. And if Hiro was just goofing off, he'd certainly hear it.

Finally, the elevator chimed that they'd reached the desired floor and the doors slid open. But before Cass could so much as do anything, Tony Stark stepped into the elevator. "Morning," he yawned. He'd quickly donned a pair of slacks and a t-shirt with some metal rock band on the front. "Sorry about what happened downstairs. We weren't expecting anyone to drop by."

He escorted her off the elevator, waving aside the two guards. "This way," he said, moving towards the lounge. "I hope you had a nice flight over. I assume you flew because it would take a lot longer to drive over."

Cass pursed her lips. Normally cheerful, this was far from an acceptable situation. "I flew," she retorted. "When I didn't hear back from anyone, I knew I had to come make sure things were okay. Now, where's my nephew?"

By this time, Tony had led her into the lounge where Romanoff and Honey now sat at a couch. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable? Care for a drink?" He left her to go around to the other side of the bar. "No?' He poured himself something strong and downed it in one gulp, making a face as he did.

Seeing Honey Lemon, Cass took a step back. "Oh, I didn't know anyone else would be awake." She noted how the blonde wore pajamas and slippers, wondering if she'd woken her with her antics. She gave the Black Widow a calculating glance before deciding to sit next to Honey. She then watched as Tony joined them. "You didn't answer my question," she stated.

Tony cleared his throat. "Yes, well about that. You see... well, something's happened and, well, we're not exactly sure where he is."

"What?!" Cass got to her feet in a hurry. "If you've lost my nephew—"

Mr. Stark put up a placating hand. "No, no. It's nothing like that," he assured, hoping to win her over. "We didn't lose him."

"He was kidnapped," Natasha spoke up, as calm and composed as could be in her chair.

Cass's eyes flashed, along with her fist, which landed squarely across Tony's cheek, causing his whole body to turn just a bit from the force. "How dare you!" she said in an icy voice. "You said Hiro had an internship. Were you lying to me then? Just how long as he been missing? And you!" She turned to face Honey, "how come none of you told me?!"

Honey didn't blame her for being upset. She cringed a bit, though, at the tone Cass used. "We were told to turn off our phones and not contact anyone," she admitted. "They weren't sure if we were being targeted too so they didn't want to take any chances."

The look Cass turned on Tony was even more scathing than the punch to his face had been. "Someone had better tell me what's going on right now or so help me, there's going to be a lot more people missing than just my nephew." She massaged her first as she spoke. She'd never let out so much stress in one punch before and it hurt.

"It's not just your nephew," Natasha spoke up. "Another student was also taken, a girl by the name of Kally Carmichael." She didn't even flinch as Cass turned her glare towards her. "Why don't you sit down and we'll explain everything." She patted the cushion next to her.

Tony felt the welt on his face, a small smear of blood coming off on his fingers from where her fist had managed to break the skin. "You know what; I'm going to get some ice for this. How about you? Ice?" He looked at Cass with his usual expression, only cringing slightly at the one she turned his way. "I'm going to get you some ice." He went back to the bar and rummaged around behind it before coming back with two glasses filled with ice.

Cass took the one he offered without comment as she finally sat down again, next to Honey Lemon. "Okay," she breathed in and out to calm herself. "Now what's this about my nephew not being the only one kidnapped?

Natasha glanced briefly over at Honey, who shook her head slightly. If the chemist had interpreted her gesture correctly, and she the answer, Cass Hamada did not yet know about them being the Big Heroes. Well, it wasn't her secret to divulge so she decided to omit it from her explanation. It would probably also be better to not mention anything about Kally being part Valkyrie as well. "Your nephew and another student were abducted by a secret organization known as Hydra," she began. "And we believe they were kidnapped because Hydra wanted them to make something."


	51. Reset

Loki contemplated Kally's sleeping form, one hand crossed over his chest, the other at his chin. She'd slept since the moment she'd collapsed in her chair back in the lab, and continued to sleep now that she'd been bodily moved back to her cell. Part of that was due to Loki's influence. Sleep was a great healer. That and it allowed him the ability to split off an apparition to snoop into other areas of the installation while she was out of it.

This Ms. Kendrick was decidedly going to be a problem. He knew she was, beyond a doubt, human. But there was something decidedly off about her as well. Had they somehow modified her body? It was a good possibility, but he'd have to confirm it with the good doctor, if the man felt cooperative on the matter. The god of mischief still wasn't sure about the man's loyalties, but would use what he could find out.

Then there was the matter of the data chip, which he'd secreted into a little pocket inside his clothes. There was a duplicate in the drive, in case anyone thought to notice that small detail. It wouldn't to do allow Kally to get punished for something he'd done, not when he was actually trying to help her.

And then there was trying to figure out more of the lay of the land, in a manner of speaking. This facility wasn't built like the others he'd been in before. That complicated things. But he'd managed to get around some of the more secure areas to what he thought was the main power source behind the temporal displacement. The area had reeked of the teseract, leading him to believe that was the place to be to disable it. He still hadn't figured out where they were keeping the DNA samples for both teens. Chances were good they were dispersed throughout the facility. It would just be their luck.

Kally groaned in her sleep. He'd thoughtfully propped her up against the wall, the pad moved to cushion her back and shoulders. It would be easier on her to sleep that way, instead of on the ground. At the least, it would make it easier for her to get up with less trouble in the morning. But now he needed to leave her for a while and hope no one would do any further harm to her or her companion. He needed to take the data chip back to the normal Midgardian realm and let whatever program she'd devised on it to its thing. He just hoped it would work. She had seemed a little more out of it than usual, even before Ms. Kendrick decided to share her wrath.

"Try to be good," he whispered in Kally's ear, brushing aside a strand of hair that had fallen into her face. He contemplated her closed eyelids a moment longer before unbending his long legs. He had work to do. And while the outside world had more time than they probably needed, those stuck in the void of half dimension did not.

* * *

Cass Hamada couldn't help but shudder as the story of her nephew's kidnapping unfolded. This was so far outside of the realm of reality that she wasn't sure if she could believe it or not. But there was Honey Lemon by her side, squeezing her hand in comfort. And when she looked over at the lanky student, she got a silent nod of confirmation.

Tints of light began to show outside the massive wall of windows and the jet lag was catching up with her. She stared at that small bit of light as if it were some kind of lifeline. She could not go down this path again. She'd already lost Tadashi. She couldn't lose Hiro too.

"I think she's in shock," Tony spoke up as he warily watched their uninvited guest. She had all the classic hallmarks of it. "JARVIS, could you have a medic on standby, please?"

"Of course, sir."

Cass sort of whirled around, her head whipping from side to side as she tried to identify the person who had spoken. She hadn't heard the voice before and hearing it now was almost more than she could take. "Who said that?!" Tears leaked out of her eyes as everything began to settle in, the exhaustion, the realization that these guys had no more idea where her nephew was than she did, and that she was completely out of her element.

Honey gave Cass's hand an extra squeeze. "That's just JARVIS," she assured the distraught woman. "He's an artificial intelligence Tony uses as a butler. It took us a while to get used to the idea too."

The café owner leaned back against the couch she sat on, her eyes closed, free hand to her forehead. "I think I feel a little dizzy," she admitted. "I just… Not after Tadashi…"

Natasha and Tony exchanged glances, immediately understanding what the woman meant. "We're doing everything in our power to try and find him," the Black Widow assured. "You're tired and probably should get some rest. We'll let you know if anything happens."

Tony bit the inside of his lip as he contemplated where they could put up the aunt. There technically was one more room with an available bed on the same floor as the students. Well, that would have to do. It wasn't the best room in the building, but they would manage. "I can show you to your room," he offered but flinched slightly when Cass gave him a wild-eyed look. "Or maybe someone else can." He turned to Natasha. "You know which room I'm thinking? Just down the hall from the others?"

Romanoff nodded. The room in question was the one she sometimes used. It had two double beds, but would be more than adequate for their needs. "This way," she beckoned as Cass slowly got to her feet, wobbly at the knees.

Honey watched them leave, concern bright in her eyes. She blinked, realizing the sun really was coming up. GoGo would be waking up soon and would likely wonder where she was. That and the others should know about this most recent development.

* * *

To say Hiro felt horrible would be an understatement. He felt like he'd breathed in poison with Ms. Kendrick's last visit. And the way Dr. Bosch was treating him, he almost felt justified in feeling that way. He'd developed a fever, despite the antibiotics he was on. It more than reminded him of that one reincarnation with the appendix and then the almost entire meltdown of his brain. That hadn't been fun at all. But he felt just as hot, just as out of it.

At least the feeding tube stayed out of the picture. He wasn't about to agree to that horrible thing going back down his nasal passages. No sir. Unfortunately, that meant he had to keep up his end of the bargain by forcing himself to eat whenever he was brought something, even if he didn't feel like doing it.

Another drawback to the whole fever thing was that Dr. Bosch was once again threatening to dump him into a tank of water and ice. The threat was more viable this time, mostly because the fever seemed more persistent than the one he'd had before. And the doctor couldn't find any biological cause for it either.

It had to be because of that woman. There was no other explanation. At least that's what logic said because he was doing somewhat decently up until she'd come in with what felt like a vengeance. He barely remembered talking to Loki after he'd had his little panic attack. What had he said to him? Hiro couldn't really remember. Maybe it was because of the fever. Either way, he felt more and more like he was in that past reality than in the current one and time no longer seemed to make any sense at all.

Hiro opened his eyes, shadows leaning over him. Were they removing the leads from the machine and plugging them back into that portable thing again? What was going on? Oh crap. Were they really going to do this? Here and now? Oh man was this going to suck! Wait, why did the room look different than it had before? Had they moved him to a different one while he was out it?

He felt arms slide underneath his back and legs. Then there was a dizzying moment when he was practically swung around in the arms of whoever was holding him. He closed his eyes again so he wouldn't have to see the world streak by, which was probably for the best as he was carried towards who knew what fate. At the same time, he thought he felt someone firmly press either a finger or something similar into the back of his neck, his body and mind going limp against his will.

The next thing Hiro knew, he was being set into a tub of what felt like absolutely freezing cold water. His body immediately began shivering as if his life depended on it. The only plus was that he wasn't naked. But the gown he wore was soon soaked through. Sadly, he couldn't even try to fold his arms across his chest due to the stupid brace on his one arm, not that it would have helped. Every muscle in his body seemed to have seized up with the cold and his teeth chattered. He couldn't move his legs due to the pain.

"I-I th-thought you w-were j-joking!" Hiro stuttered, his eyes wide open as he stared up into Dr. Bosch's face. He could see several medics to either side of him adding in even more ice to the already frigid water. Anything else he might have added was cut off as his teeth chattered hard enough to threaten his tongue.

Despite the cold, his limbs soon stopped shaking like he was having a seizure and the pounding he'd initially felt in his chest slackened off to a more sedate, almost tepid pace. His eyes went wide as he realized what was happening. His body was trying to either shut down or go into a state of hibernation and his brain was not happy with this outcome. But, the longer he lay in the cold water, the less his brain seemed inclined to function, now moving sluggishly through any thought processes. And he didn't like it one bit.

Hiro could feel himself slipping into a state not unlike when he'd had that super duper serum given to him by Tadashi, who had gotten it from the Doctor. And that was so not cool. He could feel his body essentially going through a hard reset, a very risky move on Dr. Bosch's part, he thought. But there wasn't anything he could do about it. Hopefully this go around wouldn't result in the crazy mood swings he'd had to re-experience when reintegrating his memories to save the universe. And then it didn't matter what he thought as his mind completely drifted and his eyes closed once more.

"Take him out," Dr. Bosch ordered as he checked Hiro's vitals on the tablet he had at hand. At his orders, the two medics lifted Hiro up out of the water, one on either side, and slid him onto a padded table where they began removing his clothes and started rubbing him down with towels. "That's it, get the blood flowing again."

He'd known it was a risk, but it was one he'd felt more than willing to take, all things considered. After ruling out any infections as cause for Hiro's high fever, he'd had to look at other reasons. And the one that best fit the bill was a fever brought on by an overload in Hiro's synapses, or psychogenic fever. As Hiro wasn't exactly in any state where he could get out the cause through talking, Dr. Bosch had opted for the next, albeit risky, alternative treatment, shock.

The water they'd used hadn't actually been as cold as it probably felt to the teen. They'd started with a tub half full of water set to about sixty to seventy degrees Fahrenheit. It was when they'd added the ice to the bath that Hiro had woken with a start, his body realizing it was in an environment much colder than it was used to.

From there, he'd monitored the boy's vitals closely, keeping an eye on them to make sure they didn't pass the threshold that meant hypothermia. They wanted to shock his system into a reboot, not freeze him to death. And it looked like they'd achieved the desired results as he noted how the two medics now had a re-gowned Hiro bundled up in warmed blankets. They weren't too warm, but enough to help his body recover at a decent rate from the cold bath. Too fast and it could cause just as much harm as allowing him to get too cold would have caused.

"We're going to keep him back here for a while," the doctor decided. It would probably be best to let the teen rest for a while. They could bring in the monitors and reattach the leads so he didn't have to worry about displacing the portable pack. His bed was already there, which had made transport, along with the overall decision, a bit easier. It wouldn't do to have Ms. Kendrick burst in and complicate the process with more unnecessary vibes, which were likely what had caused the problem in the first place. If Dr. Bosch had his way, he'd ban her from the sick room.

One medic went back to the outer room to fetch the monitoring equipment while the other checked the IV line, which they'd kept connected, even after dunking the decision for drastic measures had been made. The line had stayed attached to the catheter the entire time. And even though his body had slowed down, the somewhat warmed liquid coming down the tube had probably helped keep the possibility of Hiro's getting too cold at bay.

Dr. Bosch moved out of the way as the medic came back in with the monitors, which he helped situate. "I need one of you to stay with him at all times and report immediately if there is the slightest change in his condition," he instructed. The medic who had left Hiro alone when Loki first appeared had been properly reprimanded. And though that matter was over, he didn't want to have a repeat performance. Chances were good Hiro would take some time to come back out of this. Hard resets were never neat or easy.

He took a moment to make sure his tablet was synced up with the monitors before taking it back to his office. The device needed a recharge. He'd have to bring out the spare, making sure it was synced as well. Hopefully this wouldn't set things back too much. He still had no idea when Loki planned to make his move, or how long it would take in the normal world. But there was one thing he needed to check up on. No one had yet reported the incident with Kally and Ms. Kendrick and he needed to check in on her to make sure there were no further issues to deal with. That and he'd need her in the lab when Hiro woke up. He wasn't sure he wanted to deal with the consequences of the teen waking to an unfamiliar face until he was sure the reset had worked.


	52. Chat Box

Kally stared at her computer screen once more. Several days had passed since she'd encountered Ms. Kendrick and her temper. Her shoulder still ached from the encounter, but at least the cuts inside her mouth had pretty much healed, though she had a nasty bruise on her cheek that would likely take some time to go away. And so long as she didn't jostle her shoulder too much, she was good to go.

She'd worn the sling the first two days, which had hampered her progress, but at least she hadn't been totally useless. She knew how to henpeck, which had its uses. And the first thing she'd checked when she'd first gotten back into the lab was to make sure the data chip was not the one she'd left in the port. It wasn't. And since she hadn't seen Loki since he'd called Dr. Bosch, she hoped he'd taken it outside of the facility where he could plug it into another computer and execute the program she'd created.

The main problem had been that she didn't have a clue where they were and Loki hadn't told her. She'd have programmed that into the algorithm, but since she didn't have the kind of information she needed, she'd had to design a two-way radio of sorts instead. First, it would seek out the distinct signature of Sammy and flag her attention. Then it would open a secure "channel" for Loki to communicate what he needed to her. Since she wasn't sure how technology savvy he was, she'd tried to make that part as simple as possible.

Kally knew they were living at a different rate of time than the rest of the world, thanks to Loki's comments. But it still didn't help when she knew she had to wait longer than everyone else outside the field of influence. What might be slow to her could actually be him barely making it to a place where he could execute the program. And there was no telling how long it would take for the forces to muster themselves, let alone for Loki to return and get them ready for that event. Timing was, of course, critical and absolutely impossible to sync up.

It might have made things easier if she'd been able to work things out with Hiro, come up with a game plan of their own for when things went down. But she was stuck in her lab under the watchful eye of her guard dogs. And Hiro was recovering from what had to be the worst thing that had ever happened to him, at least physically, in life. There were obviously some emotional traumas he hadn't shared that trumped his current condition, though she had no idea what they were and wasn't sure if she should ask. She just hoped he wasn't as bad off as she imagined he might be.

The door opened and she couldn't help but flinch a bit. Ms. Kendrick hadn't shown up since that day but there was always the possibility the woman would. She visibly relaxed as she noticed Dr. Bosch out of the corner of her eye. He'd provided a sling and painkillers, which she only took when the pain became unbearable. "Back for another checkup?" she inquired, not bothering to move away from the computer. Ms. Kendrick was probably watching somewhere and would come at her again if she thought the girl was slacking.

Dr. Bosch moved into the room with his medical bag in hand. He had the tablet tucked firmly inside in case the current medic on duty didn't call him should something happen with Hiro. "Something like that," he replied as he set the bag down on the desk and opened it. "Just making sure there are no complications or other repercussions from the other day. Now say 'ah'."

Kally did as instructed, her chair turned to face him as he slid a tongue depressor between her lips. She wasn't sure this was all really necessary but it made the day a little less tedious with nothing else to do but stare at a computer monitor and type away at code she hoped would never be used. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as he shone a penlight down her throat and at her still existent tonsils and whatever else he might see down there.

"Okay," he said as he took the wooden stick out of her mouth and placed it in a small bag. "Looks good. No inflammation. No pustules or redness." He then checked her ears, her nose, her eyes, and felt the glands on her neck. He then had her breathe deeply for him as he checked her lungs and heart.

Kally complied with all his requests. "Is this really necessary?" she asked when he took out the blood pressure cuff after taking her temperature. It was normal, though he hadn't mentioned that point out loud, making her wonder what game he was playing. She'd seen the readout on the digital thermometer when he'd turned it slightly her way, almost as if he'd covertly wanted her to see it.

Dr. Bosch didn't deviate from his actions as he pumped up the pressure cuff. "Just making sure you're healthy," he supplied. "Hiro developed a fever and I want to make sure it isn't catching."

His announcement made Kally jerk, much to the doctor's frustration. "Wait. Hiro's gotten sick on top of everything else?" That was not good news by any stretch of the imagination. How were they supposed to escape this place if he was still out of commission?

"Hold still," Dr. Bosch ordered as he finished checking her blood pressure, which had gone up a bit with his announcement, but was otherwise normal, all things considered. He began to gently knead her injured shoulder. "Any pain? I see the swelling's gone down. How's your mobility?"

Kally winced a bit as he forced her arm to rotate in a slight circle. "Yes, there's some pain. It still hurts." She grit her teeth, far from pleased with how he'd ignored her question. "Now what about Hiro?"

The doctor gently released her arm before taking his best medical stance. "I believe it was due to emotional and mental strain but can't completely sure about that. The fever's broken now but he'll be out of it when he comes to again so I'll need you to bring him back to his senses." He glanced pointedly at the nearest camera. "Otherwise I'm not sure what mental state he might end up in."

It didn't help that the upper management was more than ready to have him move onto the next phase of testing with the two subjects' DNA. That meant he'd need more material to work with, which was something he wasn't exactly thrilled about. Part of him had hoped to find something physically off to delay things but Kally appeared to be in perfect health, minus the injuries from before. He had to find a way to stall things.

"Now, is there anything you should tell me that might complicate your recovery?" He gave Kally a pointed look, hoping to convey the need to create a situation. "Anything at all? It's fine if there's nothing, but you need to tell me if even the slightest thing is off from what you consider normal. We can't take any chances. After all, Hiro's fever was not of the typical type."

Kally blinked a few times, sure he was trying to tell her something but not sure what. Outside of the whole dislocated shoulder thing, she felt the same as usual. She was used to working under a lot of stress, and no one had put her in other physical danger. Not to mention she felt fairly certain this whole facility was hermetically sealed to keep out pathogens. Just why would he want to know if something was off when it was obvious nothing was?

Despite the blood she'd swallowed after Ms. Kendrick's super slap, she hadn't had an upset stomach, which had been nice. She really, really hated throwing up. She leaned back against the chair, hissing slightly as she put too much pressure on her shoulder, causing her to close her eyes against the pain. She hadn't taken any painkillers that morning.

_"You do know what he's trying to do, don't you?"_

Kally's body tensed, her eyes still closed as she saw Professor Othin's face in front of her. She shook her head slightly, trying to put all the pieces together, but there were still too many. Not only that, but she'd had odd dreams as of late, which didn't help on the sleep end.

_"He wants you to come up with a reason to postpone the enemy's plans. He's giving you every opportunity to come up with something to hold them at bay. It doesn't matter how small, but you really should do something before the silences stretches too far."_

She let out her breath in one long sigh that was barely audible, her closed eyes scrunching up a bit, her brows wrinkled from the motion. _"What should I do? I don't have enough time to manufacture a migraine. And I don't have any other ideas."_

_"Allow me to help you then. I apologize in advance. This is going to hurt but it is necessary in the long run."_

Before she could even brace herself, Professor Othin reached out a hand, pressing his thumb firmly against the space between her eyes that some called the Third Eye. He traced a shape on her skin, a rune she didn't know. Pain shot up from where his thumb made contact and she nearly screamed. What in the world had he done to her?! It hurt. In fact, it almost made her skin feel like it was on fire. She reached for the shock collar around her neck, which suddenly felt too small for her throat. She clutched at it like it was cutting off her air flow. How could a rune so powerful exist? She didn't know and didn't have any more brain power to contemplate it as the pain intensified.

Dr. Bosch stared in momentary shock as a tremor ran through Kally's body before she reached up to the collar around her neck, making gagging noises. This wasn't exactly what he had in mind but the fact that her lips had started to turn blue told him this was not faked. "Guard! Release the collar! Now!" He felt the adrenaline rush through him as various symptoms sprang into existence right before his eyes.

Kally went rigid as she tried to dig at the collar, a shock going through her from the device, which did nothing to help matters. She slid from the chair to the ground, twitching. The air was getting a lot thinner and she gaped like a fish out of water.

"Release the collar now!" Dr. Bosch yelled as he knelt by Kally's side, one hand on her wrist to check her pulse. He could see her neck reddening from constriction. He wasn't sure how, but the collar had contracted around her throat. "Dammit! Release the collar or she'll choke to death!"

An audible clicking sound filled the air and the collar fell open. Dr. Bosch snatched it up and threw it to one side as Kally gasped, sucking in air. Her entire body trembled as if from a seizure, her eyes wide. Her breathing was ragged, filled with grunts of pain. Then her head flew black, almost ramming into the ground with the force as she screamed.

Dr. Bosch barely managed to keep her from smashing her skull into the floor by cushioning it with one hand, though he could hear his knuckles pop from the impact. "I need a gurney and a cart in here stat!" He ordered the guard who had entered the room, the control to the collar still in his hand. "Now!" He repeated, giving the man a look.

The guard rushed to obey, leaving the door wide open as Dr. Bosch tried to figure out how to stabilize his patient. She was kicking off a lot of heat now, which was totally at odds with her previous temperature. Something had decidedly snapped somewhere and he had no idea what. And while the timing was spot on to keep her out of the next stage of DNA experimentation, this was more than a little alarming.

Kally reached over with her right arm and grabbed Dr. Bosch's left in a vice-like grip, her teeth clenched now. Her eyes flew open, seeming to go even wider than they already were. And there was decidedly something wrong with the irises. The colors inside seemed to be swirling like the insides of an active volcano, except it wasn't red but a combination of amber, green, and gray. It almost reminded him of watching a digital rendition of high frequency audio fluctuating on a computer screen. Were the blood vessels in her eyes going to rupture?

Dr. Bosch didn't dare do anything until he was sure he knew what was going on. This behavior was so far from anything he understood that he couldn't even begin to fathom a way to treat it, if it was even treatable. And unless he could come up with some kind of answer, the upper ups would be less than congenial about the delay, as much as he was grimly happy about it. He just hoped that whatever it was didn't kill her.

One of his medics rushed into the room with the requested gurney, a second following with the crash cart and a paramedic's bag. Dr. Bosch tried to remove Kally's hand from his arm as the two medics lowered the portable bed to allow a safer transfer from the floor. But no matter how hard he tried to loosen her fingers, he couldn't.

"Start an IV and fluids and apply oxygen," the doctor ordered, giving up on trying to free his arm. Instead, he moved to slide his free arm under Kally's tensed body, one of the medics assisting to get her onto the gurney while the other pressed an oxygen mask against her face. Once she was on the portable bed, the first medic prepared the necessary equipment to insert an IV catheter. Dr. Bosch could only supervise as he pulled out his stethoscope with some difficulty, trying to listen to Kally's pounding heart.

The second medic moved to place leads on Kally's chest now that the oxygen mask was secured. He also applied a disposable blood pressure cuff and attached all to the appropriate portable monitor. "Heart rate and blood pressure are through the roof," he reported as the monitor began tracking their patient's vitals. An alarm confirmed his words as red lit up the screen.

"Let's get her back to the lab," Dr. Bosch grunted as Kally's grip tightened on his arm. He could feel the bruises forming. He nodded to the other medic, who held the attached saline bag so gravity could take over. Almost as one, they pushed out of the room and headed down the corridor.

* * *

Leaving the Hydra facility was a little disorientating, though it didn't last long. It almost felt like Loki just had to pop his ears, except his ears didn't need popping. He glanced from side to side, making sure no one else was out there, and that they hadn't found the body of the guard he'd taken out of the picture. Sure he was in the clear, he made a run for his rental and the map inside.

After some finagling, he got back on the road and peeled out towards the nearest location likely to have an internet café. It probably would have been easier to use his magic to get there but his SUV had sat at the base of the mountain for more than long enough to cause suspicions and needed to move anyway.

It took him another hour to reach the first town with anything promising. And, after some asking around, he found a library with a computer he could use, though he was non-too-pleased with the time limit they gave him.

Not wanting to waste any more time, Loki plugged the data chip Kally had created for him into the drive. Almost immediately a popup screen appeared on the monitor, asking if he wanted to execute the program on the chip. He hovered the mouse of the icon for a moment before confirming his choice. The image disappeared like something being sucked down a black hole. Now he had to wait for Kally's AI to respond and hope it didn't take too long. Already, he was feel a bit antsy for the time he'd been away.

* * *

GoGo was awake when Honey returned to their shared room. It was just after six thirty in the morning but the adrenaline junky couldn't make herself sleep any more, regardless of how little sleep she'd actually gotten. "Morning," she greeted her companion as she entered the room from the hallway. "You're up early."

Honey nodded. "I couldn't sleep so I went to find some tea and ended up talking with Natasha." She wasn't sure she could call her the Black Widow anymore, unless she wore the iconic suit. "And then Hiro's aunt showed up."

That got GoGo up in a hurry. "What?! When?! How?!"

Honey gave a nervous kind of smile. "She got anxious when Hiro and the rest of us didn't respond to her phone calls and decided something was wrong. So she flew in early this morning and just now went to bed. I don't think she slept a wink the entire flight over."

GoGo pulled on her clothes, debating on smoothing her bed head before going to find the others. "Does she know about Hiro and Kally?"

The chemist nodded. "She got right up into Tony's face and punched him," she admitted. "Then Natasha set her down and explained what was going on."

"Oh man," GoGo groaned. "This is going to make things so much more complicated! Wait, did you say she slugged Tony in the face?" She had a piece of gum halfway to her mouth as she turned to look at Honey with shocked eyes.

Honey Lemon nodded. "I saw it with my own eyes," she confirmed as she went to find an outfit for the day. Part of her wanted to go back to bed but knew that wasn't likely to happen. Maybe she could get a nap in later.

GoGo let out a whistle. "Man. I would have paid good money to see that!"

"I believe something can be arranged," JARVIS spoke up from a wall speaker. A projector activated, showing the event in the middle of the room in glorious 3D.

The adrenaline junky winced when Aunt Cass's fist made contact with Tony's face, though she couldn't help but let out a bit of a laugh. "I bet that hurt! Think I could get a copy?"

"Of course. I will send it your email."

"Sweet." GoGo popped the gum into her mouth, gave it a few good chews and then blew a bubble. By the time she was done, Honey had changed out of her pajamas and into something more her usual speed for the day. "So, do the others know yet? About Hiro's aunt, that is."

Honey shook her head. "You're the first one I told. I didn't think it would be appropriate to go into their room while wearing my pajamas."

GoGo had to admit she made a good point. "Come on," she said, taking her companion in hand. "Looks like we'd better get Fred and Wasabi up to speed before something else happens."

* * *

Loki almost jumped when a low beep sounded from his chosen computer. The screen flashed briefly before a chat box popped up. He had to take a moment to compose himself before he read the first message.

Kally, is that you? Where are you?

It looked like the program had worked. Loki almost danced for joy but didn't. Now he had to decide if he was going to pretend to be Kally or be the outside party. Either way, he had no intention of letting this AI know he was Loki. Chances were good it would give that information to the others, and that was something he did not need. It would make his information seem that less valid in their eyes, especially in light of his past experiences with SHIELD and the Avengers.

Kally?

If he didn't answer soon, everything might just blow up in his face. Well, it was all or nothing, he supposed.

**This is a friend of Kally's. I have information on how to find her.**

The curser flashed, waiting for whatever response might be given to his words. Had he made the right decision?

How do I know this isn't a trap?

Loki almost cursed. Apparently Kally had made a really smart AI. But he supposed he should have known. This was the daughter of one of the brightest minds he'd ever known. It was no wonder she'd inherited her mother's genius.

**You don't. But if it makes you feel better, you can test me.**

He didn't think programs had feelings but it seemed like the best thing to say given the circumstances. Trust was a sort of feeling, he supposed. And he desperately needed this thing to trust him right now.

The curser flashed for a long time this time. He was just about to call the whole thing off when more text scrolled across the chat box.

Who is the one Norse god Kally has always looked up to?

Loki blinked at the question. How in the world was he supposed to know the answer to that? It had decidedly never come up in conversation. And he'd never known to ask in the off chance something like this would happen. So he frowned at the computer. Just what kind of game was this AI playing?

Okay, think this through, he told himself. There had to be something there in everything he'd learned about her. He doubted it was Thor. That man was just outright boorish and an oaf. Definitely not the kind of person Kally would look up to. But he also doubted she looked up to himself. Most people didn't use Loki as a standard of living, as much as he wished they would. It would be nice to be accepted for once.

Chances were good it wasn't one of the lesser known gods. He knew which ones were better known on Earth. He'd spent enough time there, after all. Then it hit him. Runes. Who was the foremost expert on runes, something she seemed good at? It had to be Odin.

**Odin, though that's not exactly something that comes up in casual conversation. You are a tricky little program.**

Loki almost thought he could hear the thing laugh. He, Loki, the god of mischief, was being laughed at by a computer program. He pursed his lips and scowled at the screen, hoping this thing didn't have a webcam.

That is correct. Only someone who's spent time with Kally would know that, even if it didn't come up in conversation.

Well, at least it was big enough to realize it wasn't something that would come up in general talk. He rolled his eyes. What was this world coming to? This thing was almost as bad as JARVIS, who he'd only come in contact with on a few occasions. He was still a bit surprised he'd managed to get past Stark's guard dog program when investigating there earlier. Kally certainly had her mother's genius, proved over and over again.

**Now will you accept what information I have?**

Part of him hoped his acerbic tone came across the connection. Kally had been right about her program, not that he'd ever doubted her, but the thought had crossed his mind. Why was everything always so complicated?

Give me the information and I will pass it on to those who can use it.

Finally! They were finally getting somewhere. He just hoped this Sammy's idea of the right people were the people he was thinking about. Anything short of the Avengers would likely not be enough. Well, he'd have to trust it knew what it was doing. He needed to get back to Kally and Hiro as soon as possible. Anything could have happened in his absence.

**Very well. You can find Kally and her friends at the following location.**

He then proceeded to give her all the information he had on hand.


	53. Different Circumstances

Dr. Bosch and his team entered the med lab like paramedics dispensing a trauma victim. They pushed the gurney to the empty space where Hiro's bed used to be while one medic broke off to retrieve another set of portable monitors. While he did that, the other attached the saline bag to a stand before moving out of the way for the doctor to examine his patient in greater detail. He also injected a colorless serum into the access port of the catheter when the doctor wasn't looking.

Kally still looked like her entire body was straining, her teeth clenched as her muscles continued to stay taut. This surely couldn't be good for her, Dr. Bosch decided. But without a general idea of what was going on or what had caused it, he wasn't sure he should prescribe any kind of muscle relaxers. So he ordered morphine to see if that might at least lessen the effects. He couldn't move far though because she still held his arm in a vice-like grip.

When the one medic who'd hung the saline suggested trying to loosen her hold on him, Dr. Bosch shook his head. He had a feeling it wouldn't be quite that simple and didn't want to risk breaking her fingers, or anyone else's for that matter. He'd just have to bear with it and hope she didn't break anything in his arm. Bruises he could live with.

Now that the monitors were hooked up, he could tell that Kally's heart and blood pressure were still through the roof. That was decidedly not a good thing, not by any medical standards he knew. And, from all indications, the morphine had yet to do anything to relieve her pain. From start to current, this had been going on for a good five to ten minutes. It had taken them some time to get back to the med lab after all.

But just as Dr. Bosch was about to order meds to counter the symptoms before him, they stopped. Everything stopped. Including Kally's heart, her entire body going limp. The doctor stared in shock for about two seconds before he realized his arm was now free and all the monitors were sounding the alarm for the complete opposite reason. "Crash cart!" he yelled as he brushed wires out of his way so he could begin CPR, just in case the other medics didn't respond fast enough.

The doctor drove his fist into Kally's sternum like a hammer, right above the heart cavity. The jolt seemed to send a shock wave through her and she gasped, eyes flashing open as her back arched with the sudden intake of air. She fell back to the gurney with another jolt of energy, now breathing hard from the oxygen mask still over her nose and mouth.

The heart monitor registered the restarting of her heart, indicating that her pulse now beat within the normal range, albeit with more intensity than was probably necessary. By this time, the medic who'd gone after the cart returned, holding the paddles out, but he was waved off as Kally's vitals evened out.

"Can you hear me?" Dr. Bosch asked his patient, noting that her eyes were still wide open, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Are you in any pain?" Her eyes, he noted, had dilated until they were almost black.

Kally turned her head slowly to look up at the doctor. There was something funny going on with her vision. Or maybe it was just that it seemed so much more different than what she was used to. "What did you do to me?" she asked, feeling a little short of breath. She blinked and her vision returned to normal. More than a little confused, she shook her head to try and clear her thoughts.

Dr. Bosch couldn't help but look puzzled. "I'm not sure I understand," he admitted. "I didn't do anything to you."

She raised the hand with the IV line and made a funny little grimace at it. "Ugh. Was that really necessary? You know I hate needles." She looked up again, not at the doctor but past him. "I still don't know what you did."

Realizing Kally was possibly not talking to him, Dr. Bosch turned to see if anyone was behind him. There wasn't. Were hallucinations a residual of what she'd just gone through? It was possible. "I don't know what happened," he told her, still not sure if she was listening to him. "But I want to run some tests to try and find out."

Professor Othin seemed to shimmer behind the doctor and Kally wasn't sure if he was really there at first, or if she was imagining things. Well, if it was a figment of her imagination, then so be it. At least she had the potential of learning something interesting, so she asked again, only thinking the questions instead of saying them out loud. Her mouth decided it didn't want to work at the moment anyway.

Othin smiled at her, an almost grim yet pleased smile. "I did what seemed best given the circumstances," he answered her first question. "I applied a rune to awaken your Valkyrie blood. The process, of course, is not an easy one. Those who are chosen to ride in this elite group have faced many challenges in their mortal life. And to become one, that part of them which is mortal must change. Since you are only half Valkyrie by birth, it was necessary to pull that part of you from its dormant state. Even now, it is still solidifying inside you."

Even though Dr. Bosch and his team were working all around her, she didn't seem to pay them any heed, even when they took samples of her blood or rechecked her vitals over or injected contrast dye into her bloodstream. _What about my abilities before? I saw the video from Stark Tower. Wasn't that my Valkyrie heritage coming out?_

"In a way," Othin replied, seeming to move without moving as the medical team transported her to the room with the MRI machine. He was always the same distance away from her, no matter where they moved her physical body. "Your Valkyrie self knew you were in danger and tried to activate. It helped that you had been in a state of peril recent to this event. However, it was not a complete activation, possibly owing to the drugs introduced to your system. But there are some specific gifts as well that your mother passed on to you before she died. One of those gifts is the runes you dream about at night."

Kally barely felt them mover her onto the slab of the scanning equipment, her muscles still refusing to move after the intense pain she'd felt earlier. _But I don't feel like anything's activated. To be honest, I feel more like I'm made of jelly. I doubt that's how a Valkyrie is supposed to feel._

Othin laughed. "Of course it's not. But you are still mortal for all of your mixed heritage. Your mortal body needs to rest after the amount of energy you expounded. But do not fear, you will be back to a more normal state in no time. And even more, you will be ready to do battle, for you will need to be ready. I know there is someone in the shadows who is helping you, though I cannot see his face. Only trust him so far as you feel it is right."

Kally thought her professor looked almost sad by that last statement. Should she tell him who it was? But a part of her prohibited it, though she wasn't sure why. "I don't understand."

The look on his face quickly passed and the slab she was on slid into the round cylinder of the MRI machine. "No, but you will. Your friend, Hiro was it? He is not physically able to aid in your escape, though he has other abilities that even he may not be aware of yet. It may be up to you to break the both of you free from this enemy. You must be ready. But remember this: should you find yourself up against this Ms. Kendrick again, your Valkyrie blood may not be enough to defeat her. Do not take on any battles beyond what you feel capable of winning."

_I won't_ , she promised, the pressure of the hard surface underneath her coming more to the foreground than it had been before. It was that sensation that told her whatever out of body event she was experiencing was about to end. And even though she'd heard everything Dr. Bosch and the others had said during the whole exchange, it was almost as if from a distance. Would it be a bad thing to let them continue on with their tests? Wasn't this whole scenario to prevent them from moving onto whatever phase of their DNA testing they'd intended?

Whatever the answer to that question was, she couldn't stop what was going on any more than she could make her body obey her mental commands. Professor Othin was right. Whatever transformation she'd gone through had taken a lot out of her and it would probably take a while for everything to get back to normal.

When she looked up again, and towards where the end of the open tube sat, Professor Othin was gone. All she saw was the far window where Dr. Bosch and another medic did... something. She had no idea what it was, other than it probably had something to do with the scan they were performing on her now. Well, it was what it was. And it wasn't like the whole ordeal hadn't worn her out, because it had. She let her eyes refocus on the curved surface above her, her eyes growing heavy. A minute or two later, she was blissfully unconscious.

* * *

Fred paced his assigned bedroom. It was a little after seven in the morning. And even though they'd all gotten to bed late, he'd had a hard time sleeping. There was just a lot to mull over. The fact that they'd exposed their biggest secret to several Avengers about being the Big Hero 6 was mind blowingly awesome and kind of a downer at the same time. He'd really hoped to confess his involvement to Tony under totally different circumstances.

But that hadn't been the only thing to put a wrench in their plans. Now Hiro's aunt was at Stark Tower, which meant they'd have to be extra careful about what they told the Avengers the rest of what they wanted and needed to know about how they worked and why Hiro had PTSD. The Black Widow had stressed the importance of knowing as they prepared to formulate a rescue plan. It might make any extraction easier if they knew what might trigger an episode, with the hope of avoiding any such triggers as much as possible. Things wouldn't have been quite so complicated with Hiro's aunt not in the picture, but apparently the universe wanted to make things complicated.

The mascot clutched at his shoulder. It didn't hurt as much as it had the night before, but the area was still a bit tender. That and it itched, which – he knew from experience – was a sign that it was healing, so long as it didn't turn into a burning itch. After all the antibiotics they'd pumped into him the night before, he doubted it would get infected any time soon, if at all.

"So, what does this mean exactly?" he hazarded, pausing to watch GoGo who sat on the edge of his bed. He watched her blow a gum bubble before sucking it back in, her expression unreadable, one knee drawn up to her chin. "I know this definitely complicates things, and we may have to come to a hard decision. Can we keep our involvement as super heroes a secret from Aunt Cass or will we be forced to show her our hand?"

Wasabi closed his eyes, both hands threatening to rip his hair out on either side. He didn't do lack of sleep well, especially not when topped off with potential death and other complications. Hiro's aunt showing up definitely counted as a complication. "I have absolutely no idea! But I just gotta point out that we all knew this might be a possibility one day. I just hoped it would take a lot longer." He forced his hands down to his sides, clenching his hands into fists instead as he let out a sigh.

Chances were good that once Cass found out about their extra-curricular activities, she would force Hiro to stop. And if they didn't have their leader, the whole team would rapidly fall apart. Despite the fact that Wasabi had been rather hesitant about the whole thing, he'd gotten used to it and didn't really want to see it end. They'd have to figure something out eventually. After all, it might be difficult to keep things together once everyone started graduating, but he'd hoped to not have to worry about this kind of thing until much, much later.

"It just very well may come to that," GoGo inserted. "It's not like we can keep it a secret forever. And Hiro is still technically a minor. If anyone knew about his involvement, he'd be more than forced out of the picture."

Honey pressed her fingers nervously together. She'd taken up a perch on the edge of Wasabi's bed, facing out into the room. It was safer to stay close to Wasabi, in case he had a panic attack. She was pretty good at talking him down from them if necessary. "I don't think I'm prepared for that just yet," she admitted.

GoGo rolled her eyes. "I don't think any of us are prepared for that just yet either, so we'll just have to be extra careful when it comes to talking around her. Because there is no way we're sitting this out."

"What she said," Fred agreed, his expression serious. "I don't care if my shoulder's still hurt when the time comes. I'm going out there with everyone, guns blazing and everything."

Wasabi seemed to jerk as he kept himself from standing bolt upright. "How can you say that?! We don't even know what we're up against! I mean, come on! This is Hydra! If it took almost destroying a major city to defeat them the first time, in our century, what do you think it's going to take to take a whole facility by storm and rescue two captives? It's practically impossible!" He threw his hands up in the air with his last words.

"We've got to keep it together," Honey worried. "If we don't, we won't be of any use to anyone. And it's not like we haven't had our share of experience. How many people can say they've been up against exoskeletons? Or have gone up against alien species? I'm willing to give it my all. Are you?"

Fred gave an almost wry smile. "Well, technically speaking, we didn't really go up against space aliens. They just sort of got stuck in the middle of everything. And I don't count Picard and his people as aliens, even if Worf was a Klingon or whatever. But I take your point. We're not inexperienced, just differently experienced."

GoGo nodded. "He makes a good point."

But before anyone else could comment, the door opened and Baymax waddled into the room. "I believe Sam has something she needs to share with everyone," he announced.

His words brought everyone crowding around the robot, all trying to talk over each other in an attempt to try and get out whatever it was Sam had uncovered. But, after a minute of this, GoGo finally decided this was the wrong way to go about it and silenced them. "Baymax, is this something the others should know about too?"

The robot blinked once. "I believe so. It is in regards to the location of Hiro, Kally, and their captors."

"I will inform the others," JARVIS spoke up. "I am sure they would appreciate it if you would head up to the penthouse level now."

Honey and GoGo exchanged glances at this announcement, but it made sense. Only a little over an hour had passed since Honey came back down. And even if the others had tried to go back to bed, someone would be awake upstairs. "I think we'd better get going. If JARVIS really has told them there's news, it would be easier for us to meet them there than to wait for them to come get us."

Wasabi looked like he might protest a bit. But then he seemed to come to his senses. "Good point," he admitted. He stood and walked over to the door. "Might as well get this over with." He paused. "And you're sure Hiro's aunt went to bed? I really don't want to have to explain to her right now how we allowed her nephew to talk us into creating a super hero team."

"As sure as I can be," Honey replied. She'd seen Natasha lead Aunt Cass into the room in question, looking pretty done in. "Let's just hope she can actually sleep and doesn't have insomnia."

Fred nodded. "I actually have an idea to help with that," he stated. "JARVIS, think you could give us a warning if she's headed our way? I mean we'll have to tell her eventually, but right now, with all that's going on, it might not be such a good thing, if you know what I mean."

"I would like to add my belief that it would be detrimental to her mental health to have this information revealed at this time," Baymax chipped in. "I believe it would be wise to keep this knowledge from her until a more appropriate time."

They all waited in breathless silence to see if the AI would agree. And then the answer came in the affirmative. After that, they all seemed to breathe just a bit easier as they headed out into the hall and towards the elevators. Regardless of what information Sam and Baymax had, it would bring them one step closer to saving both Hiro and Kally.


	54. Overthinking

Loki drove almost like a maniac, or like he was being chased by the Hulk. There was no way of knowing just how much time had passed inside the Hydra facility while he'd transmitted all the information he had to Kally's AI. It could have been a day, maybe several days. Either way, he needed to get back there as soon as possible to let them know the information had been received.

Then there were the plans of what they would do once the help arrived. There were things that needed to be taken into consideration, such as Hiro's condition, as well as figuring out just how many people were now inside the facility, and where they were keeping the DNA they hoped to use against humanity. Too many other possibilities popped into his mind as he drove full out. Anything could have happened in his absence, especially with that Kendrick woman. Oh how he wanted to rip her throat out and feed it to the dogs!

But that wasn't an option at the moment. Instead, he raced to return before anything too extreme could happen. It would go against everything he'd worked so hard to achieve, even if it wasn't exactly the typical egotistical plan he was used to employing. These two children were too much like him and he'd be damned if he let them share the same fate.

Finally, the mountain peak he sought came into view. Now that he knew the lay of the land, he needn't park in the same place as before. It was probably a wise move on his part anyway. It would be better to park somewhere less obvious, so he chose to go off road instead, thankful his chosen vehicle was up to the task. Once it was parked well out of sight, and covered over with camouflage, he dashed up the mountainside to the area where the door he'd used before waited.

Like before, there was a guard there, though he didn't stay long. It looked more like he'd just finished a cigarette break than like he was there to actually make sure no one had found that entrance. Since the time was so different between the two areas, he couldn't be sure. It would be a long break on the one side so maybe it was just a routine check. This, of course, suited Loki just fine. It meant they hadn't discovered the untimely death of their coworker. Or, if they had, they assumed he'd fallen over the incline and smashed into the rocks below. There was a bit of a drop off to one side, after all. So, as soon as the man went back inside, Loki was more than willing to follow, once more in the guise of a Hydra employee.

* * *

Kally woke much as she had that one night back in Stark Tower, though she had no idea how much time had passed since she'd last been conscious. Her eyes simply opened and her entire body remained still. Despite the relaxed state of her muscles, she could feel the same kind of tingly energy she'd felt before, now remembering what it felt like when those two Hydra agents had tried to take her the first time. It was almost as though that memory had unlocked itself so that she could view it from all angles, not just the ones Hiro had shown her in a video.

If she concentrated, she could pull up the exact sensations, smells, and other stimuli of that situation, almost like she was reliving it, except she knew she wasn't. Kally knew exactly where she was and why. She also knew there was only one other conscious person in the room with her, a medic who was more intent on the other patient in the room than on her.

She turned her head to one side to look over at this other medic, realizing they were in a different room than the one she'd originally thought they were in. This was not the front area of the medical lab, but a smaller, similar room. And the medic was intently watching Hiro Hamada, who lay unconscious on the bed opposite her.

The beep of two heart monitors filled the room, one hers, one his. And even though she didn't see any real changes from when Hiro normally slept, she knew there was a difference. Something had happened to him in-between the time she'd last seen him and now. In fact, she'd be surprised if it hadn't been in the last day or two, after Loki had left the area.

Kally breathed in and out deeply, filling her lungs to capacity. There seemed a lot more room than there used to be. That or she could hold it better than before. And, unlike the last time she was awake, her body didn't feel like it was made from jelly. It felt stronger, just inert, waiting for something to happen. And her shoulder no longer hurt. The only difference between that time and now was that she wasn't sure her muscles would obey any commands she gave them. There seemed to be a slight disconnect with anything below her shoulders.

Another medic entered the room and nodded briefly to the one by Hiro's bed. That medic got up from her stool and exchanged a few words with the new one before leaving the room. Neither of them looked Kally's way, until the door closed.

"I see you somehow managed to make your way here," the medic said. He looked more than familiar as Kally realized this person wasn't a medic at all. "Was it Ms. Kendrick again?"

"Loki," she said as she tried to sit up. Despite feeling more aware than usual, she couldn't make herself move more than an inch or two from the pillow so she fell back against it with a huff. The motion jostled the tubing stuck into her arm for the IV fluids and she grimaced. If she didn't think about it, she could almost ignore that it was there.

The man in question smiled. "I wondered if something would happen while I was gone." Then he frowned. "But you didn't answer my question."

Kally wished she could swing up into a sitting position to address the man in question, but she couldn't. It was certainly not a development she cared for, even after trying once more to sit upright. Her mental observation about the disconnect seemed to be accurate. "No, it wasn't Ms. Kendrick," she replied with a hint of asperity.

Loki seemed to relax at her words despite her tone. "I'm glad. I really don't need another reason to kill her." He gave her another odd smile before walking over and sitting down next to her on a wheeled stool. "So, what did happen? I doubt they'd bring you here just for the fun of it."

She bit her lip. She wasn't sure just how much to tell him about visions of her professor so she chose to leave those out entirely. "I'm not entirely sure," she admitted. "Dr. Bosch came to check on me, yesterday I think, though I'm not sure about that, and something happened. Maybe it was a genetic mutation or something, but whatever it was triggered a reaction inside of me that put me out of commission."

The god of mischief noted the absence of the shock collar and couldn't help but wonder at it, though it was decidedly not an unwelcome surprise. He could still see the marks from where it had been though. "Hmm." There was something decidedly different about her now as well, different from the previous times he'd been in the same room with her. He just wasn't entirely sure what until he realized she had a presence more like her mother's, watchful without appearing to do so. "And what is the good doctor doing about it?"

Kally snorted. "Last I recall, he was running fifty million tests to try and figure out what happened. I gather it interrupted something the upper ups had planned with their little DNA experiment."

Well, that was news indeed, Loki thought. It would not surprise him if they'd wanted to move onto a more practical test of the two's compatibility. Whatever it was they'd had in mind was likely more invasive and unethical, forgoing consent and all that. Part of him couldn't help but feel smug that their plans were at least temporarily thwarted. And the fact that Hiro seemed more out of it than usual confirmed the idea that those people would have to wait much longer for things to go their way.

But then he frowned, recalling the whispered instructions from the medic he'd relieved. The teen's vitals had not changed much, apparently, from the last change of guard, which meant they were watching him like a hawk. And that meant something else had happened in his absence. Since Kally appeared to only recently have entered this area, or at least come back to reality, he doubted she knew. He'd have to seek out the doctor to find out for himself, hoping this wouldn't put another wrinkle into their plans.

"Did you make contact with Sammy?" Kally asked, breaking the silence between them.

Almost as if coming out of a dark memory, Loki looked up and over at Kally. "Hmm? Oh, yes I did. She's agreed to pass the information on to whoever will do the most good. I don't know how your program intends to do it but I trust she will."

Kally nodded. "Sam's nothing if not efficient. She'll know who to talk to." Part of her wondered just where her program had gotten to during all of this. All she knew was that she was no longer inside her phone, which had been missing since her kidnapping. At least she hoped Sam had jumped ship. The program was smart enough to do it. The only question was did she know who to contact. She didn't exactly have much contact with Hiro and his friends.

Loki slid off the stool. "I probably shouldn't stay long," he admitted. "Another medic should be along in a moment. I somehow managed to slip between the actual shift changes it would seem. But please do your best to at least pretend to be an invalid. I somehow think it in your best interest to do so. I must be off to find the best way to shut this place down. But don't worry. I won't go far."

He gave her a bit of a wink as he helped her pull the disheveled covers back up to her chest before returning to Hiro's side once more. It was not a moment too soon as the doors opened again and another medic walked in. Loki gave one last smile in Kally's general direction, a somewhat mischievous one at that, and went to give the new medic the same information the previous one had given him before leaving the room.

* * *

Tony furrowed his brow as he sat on the edge of a bar stool. He didn't stay there long though as he periodically got up to pace, only to return to the stool. "And you're sure this information is reliable?"

Natasha walked around the 3D generated map JARVIS had put up in the middle of the room, which showed the mountain area in Pennsylvania where they were supposedly keeping Hiro and Kally. He'd downloaded it from Sam shortly after she'd projected into onto Baymax's stomach. "From a strategic point, it makes sense," she mused.

"I cannot verify the accuracy of this information against any database," Sam spoke up. "However, I believe the source to be legitimate. He passed my verification standards."

Thor looked over towards Tony before returning his attention to the puffed up marshmallow robot. "He? How can you be certain it was a male?"

A soft sound like laughter came from Baymax's belly. "The linguistic choices conform to a predominantly male speech pattern," she informed. "However, as my source has informed me, it will not be as easy as simply storming the area. They have done something to offset the base from the rest of reality."

Stark stood up again. "Offset it? How?" His brain started churning, trying to figure out how on earth they might have done that. The laws of science didn't exactly permit for it, unless there was some kind of outside force involved. "Wait." He turned to Thor. "You remember the battle we had here not too long ago, when we went up against your brother? Do you think that device they used to open a giant hole above New York might be capable of offsetting a small portion of space enough to put it out of sync with the rest of reality?" In his mind, he'd already confirmed the possibility, but since the device in question was something outside this world, he wanted to be sure.

Thor stroked his chin, understanding exactly what his friend meant. "The teseract has that ability, yes," he confirmed. "However, it remains in the vaults of my father's palace, which would mean they are likely working with whatever energy they managed to harvest from it."

Iron Man went back to his stool and sat down hard. "Well that will make things difficult."

The Big Heroes watched the Avengers in silence. While it was great knowing where their friends were being kept, it definitely put a damper on things if there was no real way to get to them because of some unknown technology, even if they had some semblance of a floor plan, albeit incomplete.

Natasha walked around the map until she was facing Baymax head on. "Would it be wrong of me to believe there isn't more to this message than just a location and information that almost makes it impossible to enter with any sized force?"

Baymax turned his head down. Having a second AI living inside his system was a little awkward at times and he was more than ready to find Sam a place of her own to inhabit. But, for the here and now, he understood the wisdom in sharing the space. It was nice that Sam had also shared the entire conversation she'd had with their unusual informant with him. "I believe this informant intends to somehow break down their defenses from the inside," he stated. "However, I do not believe he gave any details as to how that would be accomplished."

"Great," Wasabi spoke up, lifting his hands up in almost defeat. "So we know where they are and all that, but we can't get inside unless whoever this third person is can somehow turn off whatever it is inside that is keeping them apart from us. This is never going to work."

GoGo gave him a look. "Don't say that," she admonished. "If he's got Hiro working on it, I'm sure it will work out."

"And don't rule out Kally either," Honey reminded. "She's also a genius. If this inside person can help them escape on the inside, maybe they can figure out how to reverse whatever it is that is keeping us from getting in."

But Tony shook his head. "There's too many if's going on here," he said. "It would be easier if we had more information."

"I do not believe it possible to give more accurate information," Sam spoke up once more. "From what I understood of our conversation, because this particular location is offset from the rest of the world, time runs differently. In fact, I believe it was mentioned that time there moves much more quickly than here. He seemed quite anxious to get back to Hiro and Kally because of this."

Wasabi let out a loud sigh. "Even better! Now we have absolutely no idea how long they've been in there. For all we know, it could have been years! And if they're timing is so offset from ours, how in the world are they supposed to know when to open up whatever it is on their side so we can go storming in to their rescue?"

Fred gave a somewhat agreeable nod. "He does make a good point. I mean what if time has passed so much faster in there that they're now as old as our grandparents? That would totally suck!"

GoGo rolled her eyes at him. "I somehow doubt that's a possibility," she retorted. "She didn't say time moved that quickly there, just that it moved differently. But, like Wasabi said, it does make things more difficult on the timing."

"Perhaps you are all over-thinking the situation," JARVIS spoke up.

Tony gave a humorless laugh. "Oh? And why would you say that?" He looked up towards the nearest camera so he could give his AI butler a look.

"The greater risk lies with Hiro and Kally," JARVIS reminded. "While their time is accelerated, they will have to wait longer for outside forces to be in place. This will, of course, cause them complications in their plans. From what Sam has reported back to us, I gather there is some kind of plan in the works on their end. From their perspective, they must wait for our forces to be in place, with no idea of how or when that might happen."

Natasha nodded. "It makes sense. If this source can be trusted not to double-cross anyone." She folded her arms as she contemplated the map once more. "If we're going to give them the best chance, we need to move as soon as possible and put our forces in place and hope it gives them the right amount of time to do whatever it is they're doing on the inside. I'm sure we'll know if they succeed."

"That is precisely what I was trying to get across," JARVIS confirmed.

Wasabi shook his head. "I don't know guys. That's still a lot of ifs. I mean, what if we don't get there in time?"

GoGo looked around, her expression serious. "Then I suppose that means we need to get going as soon as possible."

Tony began pacing again, everything filtering through his brain in an attempt to make some semblance of sense. "I think you're both right," he finally agreed. "Better sooner than later. Any wait time we have will surely be less than what they have to deal with. But I still don't like the idea of bringing you kids along."

Fred stood from his spot on the couch. His expression was serious as he faced his older friend. "We already told you we're going," he asserted. "You'll have to tie us up to keep us here."

"We've already been over this," Thor reminded. "Let them come. I am certain they will find a way regardless of how you try to restrain them."

Tony rolled his eyes dramatically. "Fine. But don't say I didn't try to avert a potential catastrophe."

Honey worried her lip, hands wringing in her lap. "I only have one question," she inserted. "What are we going to do about Hiro's aunt?"


	55. Not My Problem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A general note to all my readers: I will not be posting a regular chapter mid week this coming week as I will be away from my computer, though I will likely post another chapter around the 16th. Just thought you should know in advance.)

Dr. Bosch furrowed his brow as he looked at the test results. This was simply impossible, he decided. There was no way, in any natural sense he could think of, that this could have happened. But he knew the results didn't lie. Something had changed with Kally's entire structure. Her bones were denser, as were her muscles. And her entire neural system seemed to have ramped up in several areas as well. And there was no logical way to explain it away.

Well, if he made a stretch, he could say that whatever it was that had triggered her "seizure" of sorts had somehow caused some dormant gene to activate. He just had no idea what the trigger was or how it had been triggered. Well, either way, what was done was done. It had provided the necessary reprieve from having to start the practical side of the DNA testing they wanted. Now he just had to find a way to manipulate the test results so he could continue to stall the inevitable. Worse to worse, he could always put his foot down. But then they'd probably bring in someone else who would comply with orders, regardless of their ethicacy. If that were the case, he'd be out of the picture, permanently.

There were other things to worry about as well. Loki had popped in long enough to tell him he'd made contact with whomever on the outside, which meant he needed to get the both of his patients ready for extraction. And Hiro still hadn't regained consciousness after his impromptu ice bath. A full forty-eight hours had passed since then. And while it wasn't entirely unprecedented, all things considered, it was somewhat concerning that he hadn't. Despite that, part of him contemplated the idea of reinserting the feeding tube and inducing a medical coma once more. The teen probably could use it.

The doctor picked up the nearest tablet and pulled up the data from Hiro's monitors. Nothing seemed to have changed. His vitals were strong, even in their sedate state. And his brain waves didn't show anything out of the ordinary. Chances were good he was in stage three sleep. That seemed to be the only thing that really changed. He'd been in stage four earlier.

Well, either way, it was time to see what was going on with Kally again. She'd been awake when Loki had popped in, or at least that's what the man had told him. It was time to assess her once more. He just hoped he'd come up with a good excuse for her being out of commission indefinitely while he was at it. At least as far as the demanded experiments were concerned.

* * *

Cass Hamada woke feeling somewhat refreshed. She'd slept for most of the day, even sleeping through a few intrusions into the room by Natasha. But now she stretched, feeling a bit out of it still, but not as tired as she had when she'd dragged herself into the room in the first place.

It took her a moment to locate her bag, but once she did, she went through her usual morning routine of showering, brushing her teeth, and getting ready for the day. Once she felt more or less ready to face people, she stepped out into the hallway and instantly felt lost. "Now where did I see everyone else?" she wondered out loud as she looked down one side of the hallway, followed by the other. She could barely see the slight alcove where the elevators were and decided to head in that direction. Now the only question was had she gone up this morning or down?

"If you are looking for the others," JARVIS spoke up as the elevator door opened and she hesitated over the buttons, "I would suggest going to the penthouse level." In fact, rather than risk her getting lost, he activated the appropriate function to take her there, the doors closing before she could protest.

Cass absently smoothed her pants, missing the feel of the half apron she usually wore. Well, at least she was presentable. And maybe they'd had some news as to her nephew's whereabouts while she'd been out of it. Her thoughts were so preoccupied with this line of thought that she was unprepared for the doors to open once more and to see a somewhat tall man wearing glasses with dark brown hair waiting to board the car. She felt fairly certain this man hadn't been there when she'd confronted Mr. Stark earlier.

Bruce Banner looked up from his tablet with an almost absent-minded expression. "Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized as he almost walked right into her. He took off his glasses as Cass simply stared at him, wondering if she'd seen him before or not. After another uncomfortable minute, Bruce cleared his throat. "Did you want to get off on this floor?" he asked.

"Oh!" Cass realized she'd been staring. "Um, is this the penthouse level?" She mentally kicked herself for being rude.

Banner gave a funny sort of laugh at that. "Uh, no. It's one more up. In fact, I was just on my way up there. If you don't mind…" he indicated he'd like to actually step into the elevator as he was still technically outside of it.

Cass gave a nervous laugh in return as she moved to one side. "Sorry about that!" she apologized. "It's this jet lag." She gave him a somewhat goofy grin, still wondering where she might have seen this man before, still drawing a blank.

Dr. Banner stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. Only a few seconds later, the doors opened once more and he courteously let her out first. And then he seemed to forget she was there as he moved ahead into the lounge she remembered from earlier. "I think I've found all the research we had from earlier on the teseract," he announced to whoever was in the room.

Feeling more than a little out of her element, Cass followed behind, suddenly realizing who he was. "Oh! You're Dr. Banner!" she said with a sense of pride that she'd made the connection. "You're one of the scientists Tadashi followed before he died."

Banner gave a brief look back before continuing on into the room. "Yes," he confirmed. "Now, as I was saying, I think I've found all the previous research." He handed Tony the tablet as he spoke, having reached the bar where the other man had poured himself a drink.

Cass paused part way into the room, realizing there were more people there than she'd previously seen. Not only were Hiro's friends there, but so were Tony and Natasha from before, along with a blond-haired man she thought was Thor. She'd only seen him on random snippets of the news while working the café so she couldn't be sure. And there were a few other people there as well who she felt certain she didn't know. If nothing else, it was quite the collection of individuals and she couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed.

The whole area seemed to be bustling with activity, with different tablets and papers scattered across the bar surface. Hiro's friends were lounging in different parts of the room, with Fred and GoGo sitting next to each other looking over some papers, Honey sipping something that looked and smelled like coffee at the bar, and Wasabi talking to one of the men she didn't recognize. Baymax was also present, though he seemed content to stay out of the way.

"I take it something happened," Cass spoke up when everyone seemed content to ignore her presence. She took a few more strides into the center of the room where it was harder to ignore her and stood her ground. "I asked if something happened," she said, raising her voice.

The New York natives seemed to pause and look at each other as Cass's voice cut through the low murmuring of their voices. The next thing Cass knew, Tony Stark had come up alongside her and led her to one of the bar stools. "That would be correct," he confirmed. "We think we've found the general area where they might be keeping your nephew and are organizing a search party as we speak."

Cass blinked a few times as she tried to let that sink in. "Oh." She found she really needed something to drink, maybe a black coffee with something alcoholic splashed in with it. "Oh," she said again, sinking onto the stool Tony offered, her face looking almost blank.

"I believe it would be wise for you to consume some form of nourishment," Baymax spoke up as he waddled over. "Your blood sugar levels appear to be low."

The café owner nodded. "Yeah, food would be good."

Before anyone else could comment on the matter, Tony pulled out his phone and ordered takeout. "I hope you like Chinese," he said as he finished off the order. The place he'd used was one they often ordered from. He didn't think there would be any problems. That and they were used to the usual security checks when they delivered. "In the meantime, you look like you could use a drink." He went around to the other side of the bar and poured her some scotch. "Just sip, if you don't mind. We don't want you to overdo it." He still wasn't sure if the shock had worn off on her yet or not.

Cass accepted the glass but didn't take a sip. Instead, she clutched it in her hands. She almost jumped when Honey moved to sit next to her. "Look at me," she hazarded. "I'm as jittery as a kid at Christmas."

Honey put her arms around the older woman and gave her a big hug. "Don't worry," she whispered in her ear. "We'll get Hiro back."

Bruce pulled Tony to one side, holding out the tablet he'd brought up with him. "I think you should take a look at this," he said. "It might help us get inside."

Natasha brought over a cup of coffee and sat it down in front Cass. "I thought you might need this more than the scotch," she offered, taking the glass from Cass's nervous fingers so she could take the coffee instead. Chances were good the alcohol wouldn't sit well on an empty stomach anyway.

Cass was more than willing to sip at Natasha's offering, feeling a little more alive for it. "Thank you," she breathed as she inhaled the steam. It wasn't quite as good as what she served at the café, but it was a lot better than airline coffee. After a few more sips, she took the glass of scotch back and poured it into the dark brew.

Agent Coulson entered the room from the back hallway and clapped his hands. "All right, everyone," he said, "we have approval from above for Operation Extraction, so let's get everything finalized so we can head out." He didn't notice the addition to the party until after he'd spoken, turning to look for Tony. But when he saw Cass, he had to stop anything else he might say about the mission. Though he knew who she was, she was not cleared for what they were planning.

Despite this, Phil's announcement created a flurry of activity in those around him as he walked over to where Natasha, Cass, and Honey sat. "Evening," he greeted the woman. "I'm Agent Coulson and I'll be in charge of orchestrating your nephew's rescue."

Cass took a large gulp of her spiked drink before nodding. "And you're sure you know what you're doing? This is my nephew we're talking about. I can't afford to lose him too."

It took Coulson a moment to remember that Cass had already lost one nephew to tragedy, but he was more than ready to answer her. "As certain as we can be, given the circumstances. We came in contact with an inside source who seems more than willing to give us what information he can."

She nodded, fortifying herself with another drink. "All right. What can I do to help?" She glanced at Natasha then at Coulson, respectively. Each looked back at her with impassive expressions.

"I'm sorry," Phil finally said. "But we can't allow civilians to take part in this kind of operation. You see, we're not just interested in rescuing your nephew and the other student. We have orders to take out the base where they're being held. If anything, we need you to stay out of the way. If the enemy knew you were here, they might try to capture you and use you as leverage."

GoGo couldn't help but lean towards the conversation, Fred joining them. "Here we go," she said under her breath, more than aware of Cass Hamada's firm bond and opinion on family.

Cass's eyes flashed as she slid off her stool. Unfortunately, Phil was quite a bit taller than her and she had to look up, which ruined a bit of her planned aura, but she'd make do. "Do you honestly expect me to just sit by on the sidelines while my nephew - MY NEPHEW! - is in the line of fire? If you think I'm going to just sit tight in some darkened room while you go out to find him, you've got another thing coming. I didn't take custody of Hiro, becoming his surrogate mother, to just sit back while he's in trouble."

Natasha gave Phil a sidelong look. "They told you she wouldn't want to just sit this out," she reminded.

Phil resisted the urge to roll his eyes but turned back to the woman who'd basically just challenged him. "We don't plan on keeping you in some dark room," he soothed. "In fact, I have permission to bring you onboard command central. You'll be more secure there."

Wasabi couldn't help but look at his teammates at that announcement. This was decidedly not part of the plan. Were they going to try and cut them out of the whole operation? Or did they think Cass knew who they were? Either way, this did not bode well.

Fred got up from the couch and went over to where Tony and Banner were still talking. "Um, Tony, I hate to ask this, but are we being cut out of the operation or something?" He looked less than happy about the situation. "Because I thought we told you Aunt Cass doesn't know about our being, you know who. That and Phil said something about now allowing civilians in on the operation."

Tony broke off mid-sentence to stare at Fred. "No. We're not cutting you guys out. Wait. She doesn't know you're super heroes? I thought you said she did." He looked a little dumbfounded, with a hint of impatience.

Bruce looked away. He'd not been there for any part of the conversation that might have suggested things one way or another. "Um, I'm just going to go over there." He pointed to a random corner of the room and just wandered off.

Thor decided to come over and join the two billionaires. "I sense there may be a problem," he said in hushed tones. "What ails you?"

"I thought Hiro's aunt knew about his extracurricular activities," Tony hissed. "But Fred is now saying she doesn't."

The god of thunder looked a bit confused, his brows furrowed. "I seem to recall the others telling you she was unaware of these activities."

A scowl scrawled across Tony's face. "Well, I guess you're either going to have to sit this out after all or figure out a way to hide your involvement then, aren't you. Or you could just try actually telling her. She'll probably find out eventually. Either way, it's not my problem." And before Fred could say another word, Tony walked off.

Fred let out his breath, wincing as his shoulders sagged a bit too far. He still wore the sling, even though he had more range of movement. "This is not going to end well," he stated as he stared after Tony. Part of him thought he knew where the man was coming from but definitely did not agree with his methods.

Thor placed one arm around Fred's shoulders. "I do not know why you wish to keep this from Hiro's aunt, but I will do my best to help you," he offered.

But Fred only shook his head. "I gotta talk to the other guys," he said. Drooping even more, he made eye contact with GoGo and gave her a bit of a nod to indicate they needed to talk. She nodded in return and went to get Wasabi while Fred went to retrieve Honey. They had to come up with a plan and fast or their identities, including Hiro's, were going to be exposed to the one person they really didn't want to know.


	56. Decision Making

Kally wasn't prepared to see Dr. Bosch enter the room at the next changing of the guard. The doctor, however, was more than happy to see her awake as he strode over towards her bed after exchanging information with the medic who'd just left the room. He glanced briefly over at Hiro, making sure everything was as it should be, before pulling up the stool Loki had used earlier.

"I understand you're having some gross motor problems," he stated as Kally tried to sit up. He put out a hand to keep her from trying too hard. "And while I'm still not sure how your episode was triggered, I'm not surprised. Everything I've found points to a sort of restructuring of your system, which means your body is going to need time to adjust to the changes. Liken it to running a marathon and having to recover afterwards, though I'm sure it will be a bit more on the extreme end in your case."

Kally bit the inside of her cheek, resisting the urge to chew on it. She'd tried chewing on the other side before remembering the still massive bruise she held thanks to . "I was afraid of that," she admitted. "So now what?" she gestured helplessly to the room around her with a shrug of her shoulders. "I mean that doesn't exactly bode well for our plans now does it?" She didn't miss the fact that Hiro was still unconscious.

Dr. Bosch gave her a bemused expression. "Sarcasm is a good sign," he noted. "At least you have your wits about you." He set his tablet to one side after double-checking it. "But you're right. It does make things a bit more difficult in the short term. However, I think it will help in the long one. At the very least, it gives me a good excuse to delay phase two of their little DNA tests."

That was the second time Kally could remember having that mentioned, though she wasn't sure what all phase two involved. "I'm not sure I know what that means," she admitted. Part of her wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

The doctor sighed. She had a right to know what they'd planned for her, even if he didn't agree with it. There was always the chance someone would go around him to implement it if he wasn't careful. "The plan was to harvest some of your eggs to make sure they are compatible with Hiro's DNA. If they are, they plan on fertilizing them, which means they'd need a host for the resulting embryos."

Kally did manage to sit up halfway at that announcement. "What?! Are you kidding me!? That's a total violation of my rights! They can't do that!" Part of her wondered just who'd they'd use as a host for any resulting embryos, and that same part thought it might be her. If that were the case, they had even more reason to bust out of this place.

Dr. Bosch tried to quiet her, more than aware that even though the cameras in this particular room didn't record sound, their voices could still carry out to the next area. They might not be on the same system as the other cameras in the facility, but he knew Ms. Kendrick checked them regularly. "Shh," he admonished urgently. "I've gotten them to postpone anything of the sort. At least for now. I've managed to explain away your symptoms as a form of radiation poisoning from the teseract. As far as they know, you're currently not medically stable enough to proceed without significant risk of complications or death."

The teen allowed him to gently push her back against the pillow as she chewed on her cheek some more. "You could have kept that to yourself," she sighed. "You didn't have to tell me." Though part of her was glad he had. It explained a lot of the random comments she'd overheard. And possibly the half remembered visits of different medics injecting stuff into her IV line that she felt sure wasn't pain killers or antibiotics. She'd just been too out of it or unable to move to do anything about it. And, since she wasn't sure if she'd dreamed that or not, she didn't bring it up now.

"You deserved to know the stakes we're up against," the doctor replied as he straightened out her IV tubing. "As is, I'll be treating you as a convalescence patient to allay any suspicions, so I'll need you to play along. We'll start with the typical walking and the like to help your muscles relearn whatever they might have forgotten with this change. I'm sure you'll need it anyway."

Kally had to nod at that. It made sense. "I do have one question, though," she said as she glanced over at Hiro's bed. From her current perspective, she could see the top half of him in a somewhat inclined state, tubes and wires all over the place. "When is Hiro going to wake up and why has he been out of it for so long? Unless he's on something, he wouldn't sleep that long." Out of everything else, she felt certain Hiro hadn't woken once since she'd been brought into the current room.

Dr. Bosch looked in the same direction, turning his stool slightly to do so. "You're right," he agreed. "He wouldn't. After Ms. Kendrick's last tirade, he developed a high fever and I had to take radical action. We shocked his body with an ice bath to try and bring him out of it. It broke the fever but he hasn't woken up yet after the treatment, which is another reason I wanted you in the same room. When he does wake, he'll probably be disoriented and confused. We'll need you to help bring him out of that."

"Oh." Kally's eyes looked a bit larger than usual. Part of her winced internally at remembered pain from being basically thrown into the wall. That woman was like poison. And in Hiro's more weakened state, she could understand why it might affect him more. "But what if he doesn't wake up?"

The doctor shook his head. "He should," he assured. "It's just a matter of when. His brain has to come to an understanding with itself. Think of it as rebooting a computer. Since he is in a weakened state, it will take longer than usual. But, worse to worse, we'll be counting on you to disable the security grid and distortion field instead of having him to do. It's not ideal, as I'm sure Loki has other plans for your involvement, but it's a possibility."

Kally rubbed both hands down her face, already feeling the exhaustion setting in. Dr. Bosch had been right about whatever mutation she'd encountered taking a lot out of her. "Okay." But she hoped beyond hope Hiro would wake up in time.

"You should get some rest," Dr. Bosch noted, seeing the fatigue in her eyes. "We'll start with some basic physical therapy tomorrow. Unless something else changes." He patted her on the knee before heading out of the room. A moment later, another faceless medic took his place.

* * *

Loki roamed the hallways of the Hydra compound. He'd yet to find the actual source of the displacement field, but he was getting close. And, thanks to his guise as a Hydra employee, he didn't get too many looks. But, the closer he got to what he thought he was looking for, the tighter security became. In fact, he had to essentially go invisible and follow those with higher clearance around in the hopes they'd lead him to his goal.

There certainly were a lot of corridors. He'd even found the living quarters for most of the onsite staff, minus the upper ups. Apparently they thought it beneath them to board with their subordinates. Then there were several labs of varying types, including robotics, chemical, medical, and industrial. He made note of them all, especially the medical ones. Any one of those could be housing Kally and Hiro's DNA and would therefore need to be completely destroyed. These puny mortals weren't ready for that kind of power.

He'd also come across a few recreational areas where the various employees could work out or just lounge around. These areas included several cafeterias, each on a different level. And knowing where those were gave Loki many interesting ideas, especially if they could time things accurately with everything else. That meant he'd need to play a bit of the mad scientist, or ask Dr. Bosch to do it for him.

But his real goal was figuring out where the nerve center of this place existed. With all the cameras, there had to be at least one location where they were monitored. It would be crucial to take that out as soon as possible when everything hit the fan. That and it would be wise to learn of any blind spots, as unlikely as that might be, so he could get his two young charges where they needed to be. This was going to take a lot of work and it was probably just as well that more time would pass here than in the outside world. They'd need it.

Another location of interest, outside of the whole reactor or whatever they called it, was finding the command room. There had to be something like that, unless the upper management communicated somehow from a different location. That was always a possibility.

Loki paused to get his bearings. He was closer to the apex of the mountain base as a sort of scent caught his attention. More like a miasma to be felt, he couldn't help but smile. It was a scent common to many areas where both Hiro and Kally had been kept. There was no doubting who it belonged to. It had to be Ms. Kendrick. And judging from the concentration, he either had to be within close proximity to her current location or to one she frequented, possibly her sleeping quarters. Well, it was about time he got to pull a bit of mischief on someone, he decided as he smiled.

* * *

The food Tony provided was pretty good, though most of the Big Heroes didn't taste it as they contemplated what was about to happen. While Tony's decision, intentional or not, to at least allude to Coulson that Aunt Cass knew about their alter egos caused problems, they still had to decide what to do about it. Each knew it was inevitable she'd find out eventually. They'd all just hoped it would be more at a time of their choosing, of Hiro's choosing. Because, while they might get scolded for their involvement, it would be Hiro who would get the brunt of any punishment Cass saw fit.

"Maybe we should just tell her," Wasabi spoke up as they sat gathered in his and Fred's room once more. They had JARVIS's assurance they'd be alerted to whatever might be going on upstairs, particularly if it meant needing to head out at a moment's notice. Their gear was already ready to go, though they'd be leaving Hiro's behind. Chances were good he wouldn't need it, nor would they likely have time to get it to him.

GoGo furiously chewed on her gum. "Are you crazy?" she asked, her tone acerbic. "I say we keep it from her as long as possible." It wasn't their secret to tell, though their options were rapidly decreasing.

Honey wrung her hands. "Maybe it won't come to that. I understand they'll be using one of those helicarriers as a central base. So long as she isn't allowed to see us too closely, we should be okay."

Fred listened to them all. He'd never been on one of the airborne units before but had seen the specs when Hiro had brought them up months ago. "She's right. It's entirely possible we won't even come into contact with each other if we play our cards right. Those helicarriers are huge."

"I don't know," Wasabi shook his head. "There's still a significant risk she'll catch on. We've only operated in the San Fransokyo area up until now. She's a pretty smart person. I'm sure she'll put two and two together really quickly."

A heavy sigh left GoGo's lips. "It's a risk we're going to have to take," she admitted. "Hey, I don't like it any more than you do, but we have to think more about Hiro and Kally right now. They're our priority. And if she finds out, we'll deal with it then."

Baymax waddled forward a few steps so he was more in the center of the room. "I agree," he stated. "Hiro is my priority."

"And Kally is mine," Sam spoke up from Baymax's belly.

Honey glanced a bit nervously at the robot. "I don't' suppose you've heard anything else, have you?" She resisted the urge to stand up and pace.

The AI didn't need to hear who she meant to know. "Unfortunately, no," Sammy replied. "I don't believe we will either. If there is a time displacement between us and them, we likely will not hear anything else until we have infiltrated the facility. The risk would be to great for those on the inside."

"I know you've been listening into our discussion so I wanted to ask you something. Do you think we should tell Hiro's aunt about us?" Honey asked the AI. "You're more removed from the situation than we are and I'd really like your opinion."

Baymax remained absolutely still as a blue swirl projected into his vast stomach, indicating Sam was thinking. After about a dozen seconds, the swirling stopped. "I don't know," Sam admitted. "As I don't know Hiro's aunt very well, I can't say how she would react. I think you would be a better judge than I since you have known her longer. Either way, I'm sure it will upset her."

Honey nodded, looking down at her hands. "That's what I thought."

"I do hate to interrupt your debate," JARVIS spoke up, "but everyone is heading to the ground level for transport. If you still wish to accompany them, you should leave now."

Wasabi was the first to get to his feet. "I guess this is it," he admitted. "Last chance to back out." He looked slightly hopeful but stood waiting to see what the rest of his team might say. Even though he didn't like the idea of going up against a group completely out of their league, he was more than willing to do it for Hiro, especially so long as he wasn't doing it alone.

Fred gave a funny sort of smile. "Not a chance," he said, smile turning into an all out grin. "Let's do this." He headed towards the door. GoGo was right behind him, followed by Honey Lemon and Baymax. They slung their gear over shoulders on their way out the door.

"I guess that's a no," Wasabi half sighed but he followed the others out as they headed towards the elevator and the ground floor. The time for decision making was over.


	57. Had Enough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting an extra chapter to make up for not having two last week as usual.

Kally felt she now understood the expression she'd seen on Hiro's face back when she'd come in with a migraine and he'd looked about ready to pass out just from walking the few short feet over to watch her. She felt more than a little weak as she tried to walk around the room, even with the support of Dr. Bosch's arm keeping her from falling over. No more than what felt like forty-eight hours ago, give or take, she'd been more than capable of walking around without any help at all. But now she almost fell as her limbs tried to not feel like overworked taffy.

She blew her hair from her face in frustration. "This sucks!" she exclaimed. "Now I know what a chronic invalid feels." It wasn't that she felt out of breath, though there was some of that as well, but it was more than frustrating that her body seemed at odds with how she thought it should be behaving. If this continued, their escape plans were doomed.

"Just a few more steps," Dr. Bosch encouraged, still allowing her to hold firmly to his arm. He still had some bruises from her previous grabbing of the same appendage, but it would be well worth it if they could succeed. "After that, you can rest for a bit before we try again."

Kally's eyes went wide at that announcement. "Are you kidding me?!" but she continued to edge forward, one footstep at a time. She had to do this. She had to be ready to move when the time came.

After a few more steps, she gratefully sank into the chair next to Hiro's bed. She'd only walked across the room from one side to the other and felt exhausted. This was for the birds! Why couldn't her body recover from this already?! It wasn't like she'd had the same crap happen to her that Hiro had. He had a legit excuse for being out of commission.

Dr. Bosch let her sit, keeping careful note of her pallor and blood oxygen levels. He'd placed a finger cuff, similar to the one Hiro still wore, on one of her fingers. The leads that would normally be plugged into their respective machines trailed out from the sleeve of her gown, along with the IV catheter, temporarily disconnected from its usual tubing. He'd decided it would be too much for her to try and drag that round with her. At least for now. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but you're doing really well."

Something flashed out of the corner of his eye and he turned to face one of the monitor's Hiro was attached to. The teen's heart rate and respirations had changed, along with his brain activity. From all appearances, he was finally waking up. The doctor moved to stand to one side where he could watch Hiro's every reaction as he struggled to regain consciousness. Kally couldn't help but catch on to this sudden change and followed him with her eyes.

Hiro felt oddly heavy as he clawed his way back towards whatever waited him. He'd been floating in an inky blackness for so long he wasn't sure what might wait at the end of the pinprick of light he saw above him. It wasn't death, he felt pretty sure. He'd done that too many times not to know the difference. But it wasn't anything he felt confident in guessing at either.

Eye lids twitched as his facial muscles contracted. A slit opened to show the briefest of brown colors before it closed once more. Hiro gingerly lifted his right hand to cover his eyes. The light he'd emerged into was a lot brighter than he'd anticipated and it hurt. "Ugh," he groaned, his throat feeling like it was full of gravel.

He could feel fabric pressing against his body, the weight of the blanket keeping him anchored to the bed. Was he sick? Had something happened? Where was Tadashi? Aunt Cass? Why did he feel the pull of tape on the arm he'd raised? Had someone placed stickers on his chest and forehead? And what was with the pressure against his nose, like someone had stuck something up both nostrils? At least he didn't feel the uncomfortable pressure of something down his throat, though part of him wondered why he knew to think that was a good thing.

"Hiro? Can you hear me?"

He instinctively turned his head towards the voice calling him. "Tadashi?" he croaked, his voice feeling like he hadn't used it in years. "I don't feel so good. What's going on?"

A hand brushed against his other arm, which had the pressure of some kind of restraining material on it. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable but felt odd, like a cast but not at the same time. And he couldn't immediately understand why it was there. Had he done something to himself again?

"It's okay," a softer voice said near his left ear, sounding a bit breathless.

Hiro turned to this new direction. "Aunt Cass? Is that you?" The light dimmed a little and he opened his eyes a bit once more, removing his arm at the change. "It's so bright," he complained.

Then he blinked, realizing the touch he felt on his skin didn't feel the way he remembered Aunt Cass's usual touch felt from when he'd been sick. Who was that? His heart rate increased and his breath caught in his throat.

"You need to reassure him," the male voice from before said, causing Hiro to realize this wasn't Tadashi after all. Just who were these people? And where was he? Why were they here and why did he feel so heavy? Everything seemed to sort of ache, like it should hurt more but didn't.

Dark hair filled his vision as someone leaned over him, the hair brushing against his bare skin. "Hiro, it's me. It's Kally. Don't you remember?"

Images flashed behind his eyes as he closed them once more, feeling more than a little dizzy. There was a bright flash of light as the showcase building exploded. Hiro saw himself as he was chased by Yokai in the old warehouse. Creating the team. Defeating Callaghan. Everyone deciding to keep up the team, calling themselves the Big Hero 6. The Doctor and the weird alien race made of energy.

Hiro winced as the images continued to flash with alarming speed behind his eyes. His free arm went back to his head, pressing against one temple. "No," he whispered. "No!" It was too much like putting the universe back together and it hurt.

But the images continued to move forward, like his life was flashing before his eyes, until they came to an abrupt halt with the picture of Ms. Kendrick glaring at him. "No!" he said even louder.

The grip on his arm tightened, making it ache. "Hiro, it's okay. You're okay. Breathe. Focus on my voice. Nothing but my voice. And breathe."

His head hurt. His heart pounded, but the gentle voice seemed to cut through all of that. He tried to control his breathing, forcing himself to suck in the air at a slower rate, then to expel it even more slowly. Baymax always told him to focus on breathing when he felt overwhelmed.

"That's it," the voice encouraged. "Just breathe. You've got this.

Kally watched as Hiro tried to bring himself under control. She didn't blame him for looking panicked. She felt more than certain she'd feel the same in his shoes. But with the doctor's encouragement, she gently talked him down to a semblance of calm. "You're doing good." Part of her wanted to just lay back down on her bed and sleep, but she knew Hiro needed this. They both needed this.

Hiro's breathing slowed even more, his heart rate returning to a more normal pace. His head still hurt, as did the rest of him, an almost dull ache that he knew would hurt more if it weren't for whatever intervention they'd given. He now realized the pressure on his dominant arm was an IV line, which was likely dripping painkillers and other medications into his system. The pressure on his other arm was a brace. And he could feel the pressure of two other braces, one on each leg. His abdominal muscles and thighs hurt like he'd been pummeled by Yama's men, but it could have been worse.

"Where am I?" he asked, still unsure of his reality.

Kally gave the barest hints of a smile, realizing she was standing instead of sitting. And her legs were only a little shaky, despite having felt weak as water only a few minutes before. "You're still in the med lab in the Hydra base where our kidnappers took us," she explained, hoping it wouldn't set him back.

Hiro opened his eyes fully and tried to sit up a little to look around, but the effort took a lot out of him. "I don't recognize the room," he admitted.

Dr. Bosch came into his view. "That's because you're in a different one," he explained. I wanted you further away from the main doors so it would be more difficult for certain people to reach you without warning."

Images of Ms. Kendrick flashed through Hiro's mind and his vital signs reacted accordingly.

"Shh," Kally soothed, turning his face with one hand so he looked directly at her. "She's not here."

It was only at that moment that Hiro realized Kally didn't look the same as usual. Her green coveralls had been replaced with a gown similar to the one he wore. And he could see the wires trailing from her sleeve. "What happened to you?" He had to clear his throat after speaking, wishing for some water, or ice to suck on.

"Long story," Kally said, looking somehow bemused. "I don't think I'm quite human anymore, not that I was anyway. Something happened to me and I think it activated something in my genes, but my body wasn't quite able to handle it?" She glanced over at the doctor for confirmation.

Dr. Bosch nodded. "You're both currently under my care," he stated. "And thanks to Kally's mutation, we were able to stay potential unwanted complications from higher sources." He left it at that, not wanting to worry Hiro further. Chances were good that even though he seemed with it for the moment, it would take him some time to get completely back to his normal mental state and he didn't want to compromise that possibility further.

"Uh, okay," Hiro responded to that, not sure what was going but trusting there was a reason he wasn't being told. "Can I have some water?"

The doctor nodded. "Of course. I'll be right back." He left the room, searching for a cup Hiro could use.

Kally's legs began to shake at that point and she felt for the chair behind her, sitting down. "Man this is getting complicated," she said as she blew out the air from her lungs.

"What do you mean?" Hiro tried to turn his body so he could look more fully at her but gave up on the idea when pangs filled his body, turning his vision dark.

Kally twiddled her thumbs. At least her arm muscles seemed more inclined to act normally, she mused. "Loki got a message out to the outside world," she explained. "He had to go through Sammy, my AI, but I think she'll get the message to your friends. With luck, they're planning a rescue right now."

Hiro nodded as he closed his eyes. His energy levels were decidedly less than what he'd like. "Okay. So we just need to figure out a way out of here."

"We're working on it," Kally assured, hoping it was true. Loki had told he had some semblance of a plan. There were just a lot of things they needed to make sure happened during the whole waiting for the rescuers on the other side. That and Hiro needed to be strong enough to leave his bed and do whatever it was he could to deactivate the protective field around the base. She didn't doubt her own body would be back up to speed should she need it, but this would certainly make things easier if he was as well.

A sort of shudder ran the length of Hiro's body and Kally couldn't help but reach out hand. "You okay?" she asked, seeing a wave of pain cross his face.

Hiro started to pant a bit as he winced. "It hurts," he confessed. "I feel like my body's been ripped apart at its smallest level and then thrown back together again. Not a comfortable sensation." He didn't mention anything about how he knew exactly what that felt like from when he'd entered the time stream of the TARDIS so he could revert back to his normal body and return Q's energy to him. It was not something he cared to repeat.

Before Kally could comment on that, however, Dr. Bosch returned with the promised cup of water. "When you're feeling up to it, I need you to eat something to rebuild your strength," he said as he handed over the cup, helping Hiro hold it so he could sip from the straw.

"Food is the last thing on my mind right now," Hiro confessed. He tried to resettle himself against the pillow, grimacing. "Can I be done with all things medical for a while? I think I've had enough to last several lifetimes." He tried to laugh at his inside joke but ended up coughing instead.

Dr. Bosch moved the cup before it could spill. "Take it easy," he advised as he used the controls to elevate the head of the bed to a higher angle. "We don't need you aspirating and causing more complications."

Hiro coughed for another minute before the sensation finally stopped. "So tired," he confessed, his eyelids drooping. His right hand went limp at his side, the one with the brace lay across his chest.

The doctor put the cup down on a portable side table and then made sure all of Hiro's leads were secure, and that the IV fluids didn't need replenishing. "You're going to be sleepy for a while," he informed his patient, realizing Hiro was already out the moment he finished speaking. He went back around to where Kally sat. "Time to get you back in bed as well," he stated as he helped her to her feet. "I think we've all had enough excitement for a while."

* * *

Cass couldn't help but feel out of her element as she felt the ground rush up out from under her. When they'd said she'd be kept at their command center, this wasn't exactly what she'd had in mind. In fact, it was so outside of what she'd expected that she wasn't sure what to think. Part of her wished she'd known what to expect in advance so she could take something for the air sickness she felt clawing its way up her throat.

"Just breathe," Natasha suggested as she looked back at her passenger. Strictly speaking, most citizens didn't get to ride in a quinjet. But she could understand the expression on the woman's face as the plane accelerated into the air before heading towards the helicarrier. She didn't look back for long as her radio crackled with directions to the overhead base.

Thor sat to one side of her, with Agent Coulson on the other side, along with a few other random agents. Dr. Banner sat in the other pilot chair up near the front. Despite their numbers, there were several empty seats, leaving Cass wondering why Hiro's friends hadn't gone up with her. Instead, they'd taken a separate jet, piloted by Tony Stark and another agent she didn't remember the name of.

Phil gave Cass a reassuring pat on the knee. "It's not usually this turbulent," he promised. "But if you need to throw up, there should be a bag under your seat."

Cass shook her head at the idea. She wasn't about to let that happen. Instead, she closed her eyes and swallowed hard to make her ears pop. It helped a little. And so long as she kept reminding herself to breathe, she felt confident she could avoid embarrassing herself in front of these strangers. She had yet to get any details as to what was going on, outside of their getting information from an inside source and that they didn't have a large window to work in. She could only hope they made it in time and they'd rescue her nephew with as little difficulty as possible.

"How fast did you say this thing goes?" she asked as she noticed clouds practically flashing past them in the evening air.

Coulson merely smiled at her before standing up to go talk with Natasha. He glanced at some random screens, nodding at whatever the Black Widow said. The agent then returned to his seat. "Everything looks good," he announced. "We should arrive within the next ten minutes."

That still didn't tell Cass how fast they were going, though she doubted they'd tell her. But, judging from what he'd just said, they were going pretty fast. The idea made her a little more nauseous and she seriously contemplated grabbing the bag under her seat. It was a shame she really didn't know where they were going, just a general direction of west.

"Do not worry," Thor said, misinterpreting the expression on her face. "I have worked with these people many times. We should have no trouble rescuing your nephew."

Cass gave him a weak smile, thankful for the restraining harness keeping her upright. Without it she might be as limp as a noodle. But she had to be strong, for Hiro's sake. She'd felt a little disheartened to find the charm she'd given him for his birthday still in his suitcase. Maybe if he'd had it on him, this wouldn't have happened. But she had to shake that thought away. Tadashi's class ring was more sentimental than protection oriented. If anything, she'd hoped having it would remind him to be less reckless. It wasn't his fault someone had decided to take him and another classmate. At least she doubted it was. They could have chosen anyone at random.

She squeezed the small charm in one hand until her knuckles turned white. It was only a matter of time before she could return it to Hiro. And, pending on what happened between then and now, she might have a few choice words to express to different individuals as well. Until then, she just needed to hang on and hope she really didn't throw up.


	58. A Good Plan

Honey Lemon thanked her lucky stars they weren't in the same jet as Cass Hamada. It wasn't necessarily a matter of room but a matter of their heading to a different destination. While Cass was headed to a helicarrier, they were headed to a ground location not too far from where Sam said they were keeping their friends. All the same, she couldn't help but feel anxious. The woman was bound to eventually realize they weren't on the carrier with her, even if it was large. And that would make her question things they didn't want touched just yet.

Their gear was safely stowed in the cargo area in nets attached to the wall. Everyone else wore a harness, including Baymax. He just was mostly deflated to accommodate the cramped quarters. His charger was stored with the rest of their gear. They'd brought it knowing he'd need a recharge before too much longer, especially since he was still sharing space, and energy, with a second AI. It just seemed rude to deactivate him while everything was going on, even if it probably would have been easier.

Fred grinned as he watched the world streak by out the front window. This was even cooler than flying on Baymax's back, even if the robot's thrusters made him almost as fast. It was cooler because Tony was piloting the craft. The mascot hadn't known he could do that, but it figured. If Tony could fly with the Iron Man suit, he could pilot an airplane. It also helped that the agent next to him knew what he was doing.

"So remind me what the plan is again," Wasabi spoke up, holding onto the straps around his shoulders as if he didn't quite trust them.

Tony got up from his seat, which actually was the copilot seat, a Bluetooth headset still attached to his ear. "The plan is we rendezvous with the others on the ground, get some sleep, make sure everything is good to go, and head out, hoping whoever is on the inside somehow deactivates the displacement field in time so we can infiltrate, extricate, and then blow the place to high heaven. And if we have to wait in place, then we do that until we get the signal, then go in and do all the above."

Wasabi's lips moved into a rounded shape, his eyes wide. "Okay then." He glanced wryly over at his nearest companion, which happened to be Honey, wondering if her reaction was the same as his. "That's . . . a good plan." He tugged at his collar.

"I wonder how much time has passed on the inside," Honey spoke up, her hands pressing against her knees. She couldn't help but wonder what was going on with Hiro and Kally both. They'd been kidnapped for a reason. Were they being taken care of? Had something happened to them? Were they okay?

GoGo gave Honey's hand a comforting squeeze before standing up to move next to Fred, who sat across from the others. She hadn't bothered with the harnesses, preferring to move around. "I'm sure they'll be fine," she asserted, knowing where Honey's thoughts were. "And if they're not, we'll have even more reason to kick some serious butt."

"What she said," Fred spoke up. He'd opted to kick his arm sling to the curb before heading up into the air. And though the stitches were still in place, he felt a lot more confident about his ability to do his part. Fingers crossed, he could convince someone to remove the stitches altogether before they headed up the mountain in question. It would be a lot easier knowing he wasn't going to pull one, causing more damage.

Tony took a seat on the other side of Fred, hands clasped in front of him. "Okay, guys, I just want to make a few things clear before we land. You're only here because we can't leave you to your own devices. That being said, you're not to go running around as you please. There has to be a sense of order in all of this or someone is going to get hurt."

Baymax blinked at his comments. "Taking care would be advisable," he stated. "I would prefer to keep any injuries to a minimum."

"You and me both," Wasabi spoke up. "I'm not exactly keen on the idea of getting turned into wasabi sushi or anything."

Fred snorted. "Sorry," he then apologized as he covered his mouth with one hand. "I thought it was funny."

But Tony didn't look amused. "I'm being serious here. I'll bench you if I don't think you can handle this." He gave each of them a glaring look. "Hydra is not your average garden variety bad guy."

"And we're not your average garden variety super heroes," GoGo said around a gum bubble. She had her arms crossed over her chest, looking less than amused.

Tony turned to face her. "It's just that kind of attitude that could get you killed. I don't care how cool your toys are. Obey our orders or you're out."

Honey put out a placating hand, straining a bit against her restraining belts. "Don't take GoGo the wrong way," she asserted. "It's just her way of blowing off steam. We all work pretty well as a team and will do whatever you need us to do so long as we can save Hiro and Kally."

"Glad to hear it," Tony said gruffly, leaning back against his seat. "You'll each be paired up with one of the Avengers so we can keep you out of trouble. We don't go in until we've got the go ahead from the frontal assault team. Understood?"

Each of the Big Heroes nodded almost in unison, all except Baymax. He simply watched the assembled group. While he was a member of the Big Hero team, he had his own idea of protocols, and if Tony's didn't fit in with his programming, he would go around any orders given. "I believe it would be wise to allow our team members to work together," he stated. "It would be the best way to optimize our individual strengths."

Honey nodded. "I have to agree with Baymax."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll revisit pairings in the morning. For now, get ready to land. It might be a bit rough." That said, he stood up and headed back to the cockpit area to get ready for touchdown.

* * *

Loki couldn't help but smile the next time he dropped by the medical lab. Kally was on her feet again, making circles around the inner room. He approved of the change from seeing her basically bedridden. And even Hiro was awake, looking miserable as he was all but force fed something that looked less than appetizing. "I see you're on the mend," he stated as he stood with arms folded just inside the doors.

Kally paused halfway across the room. Walking was decidedly getting easier, even though only twelve hours had passed since her first jaunt around the room before Hiro'd woken up. "I'm doing much better," she agreed. "Now I just need to work on my other muscles and I should be good to go."

Dr. Bosch watched from his position at Hiro's bedside, spoon in hand. The stuff he was feeding the teen wasn't the same slop they'd tried to get him to eat at the beginning, but it wasn't exactly a gourmet meal either. It was filled with a lot of dark leaf veggies processed into something almost like a smoothie, except it had a lot more added it to than the usual health drink. It was too thick for a straw, having more the consistency of baby food.

"This is almost as bad as that other stuff," Hiro complained the moment his mouth was empty. Despite all the supposed rest he'd had, his body remained weak and the effort of holding the spoon had made his hand shake. Part of him almost missed the feeding tube. It had been a lot easier to deal with than having someone feed him like a baby.

Loki looked more than a little amused at Hiro's predicament. "How are you supposed to become stronger if you don't partake of the food provided?" He gave a mischievous little wink as he strode over, pausing by Kally's side. "My lady," he said, offering his arm.

Kally took the offered support and moved towards Hiro's side of the room. She couldn't help but blush a little at the attention, even though she technically didn't need it. It was nice to have someone treat her like something more than an invalid. "I take it we're getting close," she stated when Loki pulled out a chair for her.

Dr. Bosch took the opportunity to spoon more food into Hiro's open mouth, giving him a look to stop any further protests. "Next time I'll let you feed yourself," he promised. More than anything, he felt Hiro needed the right nutrients to bring him back up to a decent level. It helped that they were giving him supplements via the IV line, but it couldn't compensate for everything. Not even the feeding tube could do that.

Loki nodded at Kally's comment. "I had a few ideas to liven things up a bit. If the good doctor would permit, I'd like to play around with some chemical agents that can be added to the food supply, making the others a bit more sluggish and easier to get around."

The doctor's eyebrows rose at that. "I hope you don't plan on poisoning them," he admonished.

Loki gave a half snort as he leaned back, arms folded across his face, looking more than a little amused. "Nothing that extreme," he assured. "But a nice case of food poisoning or a sedating agent wouldn't be uncalled for, don't you agree?"

Hiro smirked. "That would be entertaining to watch," he agreed the moment his mouth was empty once more. "Even if only some of them eat whatever it is, it'll help." He reached for his cup, needing a little help to hold it up so he could sip from the straw in order to clear his throat. "What about the layout? Did you find the power source?"

Dr. Bosch slipped another spoonful of food into Hiro's mouth as he contemplated Loki's suggestion. "I could come up with something," he admitted. It would be easier to use a sedating agent than something that would cause upset stomachs. Drowsiness would slow down reaction times, which would give them a little more time to get things done.

"I have," Loki stated in answer to Hiro's question. "It's on one of the lower levels so it might take a bit of doing to get you there. But are you sure you can handle it once we do?"

The teen swallowed again, giving Dr. Bosch a dirty look. "Just get me in front of whatever computer and I'll tap dance on it if I have to." Having one arm out of commission would, of course, be problematic, but if he had enough backup to distract anyone trying to interrupt, he felt certain he could handle it. "When are we going to do this?"

Loki looked at the doctor this time. "When do you suggest? You obviously know more about these two's conditions than I do. Kally I do not worry about." She looked up at that. "But I'm sure Hiro could use a bit longer."

Dr. Bosch set the bowl of food down, along with the spoon. "You're right. Ideally, I'd give him another week, but I suppose things are too far in motion for that to happen. And since we don't know when your outside help is going to show up, I can't really say. The usual flow of time is between two to four days to each of the normal one on the outside. It's not exactly consistent."

"Why don't we go with a compromise?" Loki suggested. "Let's say thirty-six more hours and we get started. If our allies on the outside are in place, all will be well. But if not, we're on our own. Either way, there will be an end in sight."

Kally felt butterflies fill her stomach. "That's not a lot of time," she admitted. It was only a day and a half. She glanced over at Hiro. "Think you'll be ready?"

Hiro let out his breath all at once. "Do I have a choice?"

* * *

The main deck of the helicarrier was huge and Cass couldn't help but feel intimidated by it. It was a little nice to see a woman at the helm though and she was quickly introduced to Maria Hill. There were a lot of people on deck and Cass knew it might take her a bit to remember how to get there from her assigned quarters but she was more than willing to head off to bed once introductions were made.

Unfortunately, because of her impromptu nap, she had a hard time falling asleep. Everything churned inside her head and she couldn't help but wonder where the others were, why she hadn't seen them on the airborne base, and when she'd run into them again. She somehow felt there were things they were keeping from her about her nephew and that didn't sit well at all.

Cass let out a heavy sigh as she paced the small sleeping room. Even though there was more than one bed, she wasn't required share. But the space was still small and not suited for pacing so she gave up on sleep and headed back out into the corridors.

There was a lot of activity going on. She could only assume it had something to do with rescuing her nephew. A lot of soldiers marched here and there, carrying strange looking boxes or simply going from one place to another. But in all the hustle, she accidentally found herself more than a little lost and completely turned around.

"Well that's annoying," she said aloud, more because she needed to hear someone's voice, anyone's voice, and no one else was in the area. She couldn't even find someone to ask for directions back to her room.

With a sigh, and a little pep talk to herself about finding someone to redirect her, Cass continued down the corridor she was in. Somewhere near the middle was a glass door with a light shining from inside. And there was a shadow moving through that light. Finally! She'd found someone who could hopefully help her find her way back to where she was supposed to be.

The door opened with a mechanical swish and she stepped into the space that oddly reminded her a bit of Tadashi's – now Hiro's – school lab. She'd only been there a few times, mostly after Tadashi's death. And there was Dr. Bruce Banner tinkering with something on a far table. "Oh, excuse me," she apologized almost immediately and turned to go, not wanting to disturb him. She knew from experience that most tinkerers didn't like others interrupting their work. Her nephew was one of them.

Bruce looked up at the sound of her voice, saw the look on her face, and called out. "Wait. You don't have to go." He walked over to her as she paused, noting the look of indecision on her face. "I take it you had a hard time sleeping too?"

Cass let out a nervous little laugh. "Something like that." She stepped back into the lab, the door closing behind her. "I got a bit jet-lagged this morning so I slept most of the day."

"So you weren't tired when it was time to go to bed," Bruce finished for her, a bemused smile on his face. "I know how you feel."

Moving further into the room, Cass couldn't help but notice the odd parts scattered on the work table. Whatever he was building, it didn't look like a robot, and since she didn't really get the whole science bit like others she knew, she chose to not ask about it. "I got a little restless," she admitted. "And then I got lost."

That got a bit of a chuckle out of Bruce. "I can see that happening. This place can be pretty confusing, especially if it's your first time being here." He cleared a stool of some books for her. "I can probably rustle up some tea, if you like," he offered.

Cass took the offered seat. "Oh, that's not necessary, Dr. Banner," she protested mildly.

"Bruce. Please," Banner corrected. "And your name is?" He waited for a second while she settled herself. "After all, I can't just keep calling you' the aunt'."

The stool tried to rotate on her but she got the hang of it. It was a lot easier to turn than the ones back in the café. "Cass," she responded at his prompt. "Cass Hamada."

Banner brought over two mugs of hot water and a selection of tea bags. "It's nice to meet you, Cass Hamada."

Cass gratefully took the cup of water before rummaging through the collection of tea bags. She didn't want to pick anything that would keep her up too late. After all, she didn't want to miss the action in the morning. At least she hoped everything would work out for the morning. Seeing a bag of chamomile, she snatched it up and dunked the little pouch into her cup. Normally she'd drink coffee but something soothing would be nice at the moment.

"I only got to meet your nephew once," Banner said conversationally as he dipped his own tea bag from the others side of the table. "And from what I saw, he's a pretty level-headed kid." Even though he usually wasn't much of a conversationalist, he somehow felt more at ease in Cass's presence. He could tell she had gone through a lot and could easily forgive any sharpness on her part. Even with that rawness of emotion around her, she didn't have the same airs as someone like Tony. She was in a strange world, desperately trying to understand it while trying to not get completely lost at the same time.

Cass took an experimental sip of her tea to see if it was ready, deciding it wasn't. "Thank you," she mumbled over the lip of her cup before setting it down. "It's not been easy. It's been a little over twelve years since his parents died and I took him and his brother in. I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time, but I wouldn't trade it for the world." A fond expression crossed her face as she thought back to those early years and the headaches her nephews had put her through.

Bruce didn't say anything as he watched her over the rim of his mug. This was a woman who had seen tragedy. And, if he remembered correctly, she'd already lost one nephew. If there was anything he could do about the situation, he would make sure she didn't lose another one.

Taking a slow, almost shuddering breath, Cass tested the tea again, deciding it was good enough. "I never really quite understood them," she mused, staring off into the distance. "But I knew they were both destined for great things. Tadashi never had that chance. I hope Hiro still will."

"I know this may not mean much," Bruce said, placing one of his hands on hers, "but we're all going to do our best to make sure he has that opportunity. I promise."

Cass gave him a weak yet grateful smile, looking down at his hand covering hers. She felt a sense of comfort radiating out from him, realizing he was probably more like her nephew than anyone else she'd already met since coming out to New York. And she found she couldn't help but believe him. "Thank you," she breathed, hoping everything would turn out alright in the end.


	59. Not Prepared

Wasabi felt more than a little groggy as Honey shook him awake. They'd landed at a secure location somewhere in the mountains. He didn't know where exactly. And it was too dark when they'd landed to see much of anything. In fact, it was still dark. "Why am I awake?" he complained.

Honey gave him a somewhat maternally patient look as she shook her head. "We're getting ready to move out," she replied, already changed into her suit. "You'd better get changed and come eat while there's still something to eat."

Hearing that, Wasabi was a little more eager to get off the cot they'd supplied. The tent didn't offer as much privacy as he'd have liked, but when he looked around, he realized Fred was already gone, as was his lizard getup. With only a few grunts and groans, he changed into his iconic green outfit and headed towards the mess tent.

Since this was not a long term project, they'd opted to go with a more rustic approach, providing tents for everyone and everything. They were scattered around and looked more like traditional camping gear than anything military, which Wasabi supposed was smart on their part. They looked more like a large scale retreat than a military group, which would hopefully not tip their hand too early.

The plan, as far as Wasabi remembered, was to have the ground groups hike out to the mountain in question in small contingents, pretending to be on some kind of expedition or something or other. And while they scouted out the landscape, the others would wait for the go ahead to move into position. They'd already done some initial scouting the day before and were now ready for a more upfront assault. They just had to get everyone in place first.

The smell of food hit Wasabi like a train, reminding him he hadn't eaten since late afternoon the day before. He hadn't gone for the Chinese last night due to nerves making his stomach upset. He all but drifted towards the smell of coffee, drinking the stuff given him straight up. "Now that's more like it," he sighed.

Various agents around them gave him odd looks. Though, to be fair, they were giving all the Big Heroes odd looks. Their bright armor stuck out in stark contrast to the rest of the more drab garb around them. Well, flashy had worked for them so far. There was no reason to change it now, nor was there really any time. It would be different if they had a compressor and some paint, but they didn't.

Fred came over in his kaiju outfit, headpiece flipped back so he could sip his cup of brew. "About time you joined us," he teased. "I've been up for a like an hour begging them to take the stitches out. Finally convinced someone it would be better that way so they didn't get pulled again. That and my wound's mostly closed off so we should be good."

GoGo gave a brief nod from her seat at a portable table. She had a cup of joe in hand as well, though she'd added a plate of eggs and hashed potatoes to her breakfast. Since they weren't going up in the first group, they could afford a little food. But no one wanted to even think about eating lunch until everything was over.

Tony sauntered over, looking more refreshed than he had any right to look. "Good," he stated, seeing them all there, even Baymax, who stood out of the way so others could utilize the tent. "We've finalized your groups based off of what you guys told us last night. Honey and Fred will go with Thor. Wasabi, you're with me. GoGo, you and Baymax get to tag along with Natasha. Banner will go in as backup."

GoGo gave a salute at that announcement. Out of all of them, outside of Hiro, GoGo was the most comfortable on Baymax's back. And with her mag-lev gauntlets and skates, it would be easier for her to stay on his back.

"Judging from the size of that place, it's anyone's guess where they'll keep Hiro and Kally," Tony continued. "I've got these headsets so you can keep in contact with the rest of us. The plans we were given aren't exactly complete or detailed."

At that, Honey raised her hand. "Actually, we already have built in communication equipment. All we need is the frequency and we can sync up with your systems. It's something Hiro built in after the last time we had to work with another group."

Tony couldn't help but give her a sidelong glance. Apparently they had a lot of stories to tell, stories he would love to hear once all was said and done. But there wasn't time for that just now. "Fine," he agreed, providing the frequency while they all made the adjustments. "Just remember, you're not to go off on your own no matter what happens."

GoGo glanced over at Baymax, who was taking it all in. "Hey, think you could scan ahead and see if we can't figure out just where they're keeping Hiro and Kally?"

Baymax blinked. "I have already attempted to scan the area but something is interfering with my sensor," he admitted.

"Well, hopefully that will change once they've got the displacement field down," Honey hoped. She clutched her coffee cup in both hands, wondering how they were all holding up, especially Hiro, Kally, and Aunt Cass. They'd found out Cass would be able to observe from up in the air, which helped alleviate any hard feelings they'd had about Tony potentially allowing their identities to be compromised by her. It would be harder for her to tell their real identities from there.

Tony found he hoped the robot's scanners would work better as well. He'd tried a few fly overs only a couple of hours earlier with the same results. Either the field was causing problems or they'd reinforced the base with lead or some other material that didn't allow their sensors to penetrate it. Part of him couldn't help but wonder if Baymax's abilities weren't blown a little out of proportion by Fred's enthusiasm the night before though.

With a pat to Fred's back, Tony stood from the chair he'd taken. "Once you're finished eating, you should meet up with your team leaders for any further instructions. Got it?"

Everyone gave the affirmative before he walked off. They couldn't help but look at each other, each looking a bit nervous. They were about to go up against one of the most notorious groups in the world and they were so not prepared for it.

* * *

Hiro woke to a hand covering his mouth. His eyes went wide for the briefest of moments until he recognized Loki standing over him. What in the world was the man doing there? Hadn't he gone off somewhere to lace the cafeteria food with tranquilizers or something? But seeing the man's finger pressed against his lip, the teen knew there was something more going on than just being woken up earlier than he'd cared for.

This behavior was decidedly atypical of what the god of mischief had exhibited before and Hiro couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Seeing that Hiro understood, Loki removed his hand from Hiro's mouth. Hiro wanted to ask so many questions but Loki's continued silence discouraged his asking them, at least for now. He did manage to tilt his bed up so he was more in a sitting position though. The bruises to his abdomen and thighs pinged in protest and he grimaced against the sensations but kept any noise from escaping his lips.

Loki nodded towards Kally's bed, which was empty. He then indicated a screen a few paces away from the bed where Hiro could see the bottom of Kally's legs as she presumably changed into something else. He could see a discarded gown on the floor and bare legs.

While Kally finished changing, Loki brought over a wheelchair he'd found somewhere. What in the world? Hiro couldn't help but look confused. This was not the plan. This was so far outside the original plan that his brain wasn't sure what to make of it. He glanced over at the clock on the wall, realizing their original thirty-six hours hadn't elapsed yet. In fact, they were only between the twelve and twenty-four hour mark. At least he felt fairly sure they were. He couldn't be sure if it was supposed to morning or evening. What was going on?

Kally came out from around the screen, pulling off the sticky electrode pads from off her body and placing them on a convenient side table. Hiro noticed a bandage covering the area where her IV had been, realizing it had been removed. She now wore a set of blue scrubs, reminding him of what the other medics had worn. She also had on soft-soled shoes that made little noise on the tiles.

Where was Dr. Bosch? Hiro wondered as he watched everything unfold. Wasn't he supposed to be there? Or had something happened to the man? Or, worse yet, had he somehow betrayed them? It didn't make sense. The man had shown more humanity than anyone else in the whole facility. But experience said you couldn't trust everyone, which meant he had to make a decision. Did he trust Dr. Bosch? Did he trust Loki? If he called out, someone would likely come running. But should he?

Kally moved over to Hiro's side, blinking expressive eyes at him. He just couldn't understand what they might be trying to tell him. But when the corner of her lip turned up a bit, he felt himself relaxing. He trusted Kally. She seemed to have pretty good instincts. And, after watching her the last few times, he felt confident in her ability to at least help get them out of the room. Beyond that, he wasn't so sure, but he couldn't forget the display he'd watched from Stark Tower and how she'd incapacitated those two Hydra agents after suffering a severe allergy attack.

Loki moved the wheelchair closer to the bed while Kally managed to pull down the rail closest to the monitor side, the IV line getting momentarily in the way. Two different bags of medication hung alongside the saline solution, one for the pain, one an antibiotic.

There was a soft click as Loki set the brakes on the chair. He then went to take Kally's place at Hiro's side, turning off the monitors before removing the wire leads from the multitude of electrodes stuck to Hiro's skin. And he still remained silent. When it came time to deal with the IV, he simply moved the bags of fluid to a stand attached to the back of the chair, moving the line to accommodate its length.

Using signs, Loki instructed Kally to help him move Hiro to the wheelchair. The boy did everything he could to make it easier. When Kally's hands moved under his legs, he couldn't help but feel a sense of reassurance surge through him, furthering his desire to just go with it. He just wished he knew what Loki had in mind. Part of him had the temerity to wonder why they weren't removing his IV as well.

He watched as Loki straightened out the slightly tangled IV line, draping it out of the way of the wheels. So much for the potential of getting rid of the thing. There was some wisdom in this, he supposed. Without the painkillers, he might be in a world of trouble. Even with them, his body ached, his muscles strained. Hiro felt some relief when Loki adjusted the leg rests so his knees didn't have to bend due to gravity. The braces didn't exactly allow for it anyway and it would have been a pain to have to hold them up for however long was necessary. He knew he woudln't have been able to do it on his own. He barely had any strength to stay upright as was, though he knew he'd need to reserve what he could for when the time came to disable whatever field they had in place.

With that all taken care of, Kally was there with a blanket to cover his legs and lap. The gown did make it a bit breezy down there and Hiro was more than okay with this addition. He just wished one of them would tell him what was going on. Kally seemed to know more about it than he did, which made him feel more than a little uncomfortable. Why weren't they saying anything? Dr. Bosch had told him the cameras in the room didn't record sound so why were they taking that extra precaution?

Loki and Kally nodded to each other as Kally picked up what looked like one of the tablets Dr. Bosch and his medics used. What was the point of having that if his vitals weren't being monitored, Hiro wondered. Maybe it was just for show because as they approached the door leading into the main area of the med lab, Kally's appearance altered drastically. She seemed to get taller, her features aging and morphing to a different appearance altogether. Her hair even thickened and was now up in a pony tail instead of just down across her back.

Hiro noticed Loki's features also change. His dark hair shortened, lightening up as his physical body went a bit more bulky, not quite body builder but not like someone who spent all their time indoors either. If he had to take a stab at it, he'd say it was now a cross between Wasabi's girth and Fred's scrawniness. That and his facial features also changed. He saw them in the reflection of the window-smooth walls as he was pushed towards the main doors. Surely they didn't think that would make a difference, he thought. Until he looked at himself in the reflection as well.

The teen genius seemed to have filled out a bit, as well as gaining in stature. He looked more like his brother, if he really thought about it, his hair less messy and not quite as long. That and he'd gained five years of age in an instant, even though he didn't feel any different on the inside. Was this an illusion? It had to be. But how had Loki known to pull of images of his brother? It almost made his heart skip a beat, his breath to catch in his throat, but he controlled it. Now was not the time to break down. He vaguely felt the pressure of the finger cuff still on the ring finger of his left hand.

They were out in the hallway now, passing someone in white coveralls. The man didn't even give them a second glance, which made Hiro breath in a sigh of relief. Maybe this would work after all, though he really wished they'd tell him where they were going. Loki continued to push the chair while Kally walked just behind him, her attention apparently split between looking at where they were and at the tablet.

After who knew how many corridors, turning down different halls and the like, they finally came upon an elevator. Loki pressed the down button and they waited what seemed patiently for the car to arrive. To all outside appearances, they were just two medical employees transferring a patient. Was that what they were aiming for? It made sense, Hiro decided. But just where were they taking him? And why were they still not talking? It was downright frustrating! Sure they'd bypassed a ton of people without a second glance, but it would definitely be nice to know what was going on.

The elevator finally arrived and they entered after two men in dark green left the car. Once the door closed, Kally seemed to relax, even though it looked like there was a camera staring down at them. She tapped a few things on the tablet before setting it in Hiro's lap. "Finally," she breathed.

Hiro looked down at the tablet and saw a schematic of the base. He couldn't help but look up in surprise. "When did you get this?" His expression showed his obvious confusion as he stabilized it with his free arm. Not only had they somehow managed to get the majority of the base down in blueprint form, but Kally had managed to create a program allowing her to override cameras on certain circuits. Unfortunately, the med lab was not one of them, which explained their silence.

"Okay," Hiro said as he looked up at the altered faces of his compatriots. "Just when did you guys get this all done? And where's Dr. Bosch?"

Loki and Kally exchanged glances before Kally took the initiative. "While you were sleeping, Loki discovered a few things that could put a damper on our plans," she admitted. "Dr. Bosch's upper ups have ordered him to go ahead with the second phase of their plan to use our DNA, which means I was scheduled for a procedure called oocyte retrieval that was supposed to happen within the next hour or so."

Hiro couldn't help but look confused at that. "Oocyte? What's that?" It wasn't a term he was familiar with. They'd definitely never mentioned anything about that in biology, at least not that he could think of. Nor did he recall it from any of the additional medical programming he'd added to Baymax's database.

Kally looked a bit pink around the ears as she looked down, hands clasped as the elevator continued heading to where ever they'd told it to go. "It's an egg," she mumbled before looking up. "A human egg. Apparently it's now possible to fertilize one without sperm so long as you have DNA from a male donor."

Realization hit him like a speeding train. "Oh crap!" He couldn't help but look over to Loki, who had remained silent this whole time. "How did you find out?" It had to be Loki who'd known because he knew it was less than likely Kally had. "I thought they had to like pump you full of hormones or something before doing that though."

Loki couldn't help but look uncomfortable as he clenched his hands around the wheelchair's handles. "While I was looking around, I came across a private meeting between our Dr. Bosch and Ms. Kendrick. Kally's progress had been noted so she ordered him to perform the procedure. Apparently the other medics have been pumping her full of the necessary hormones since she was readmitted into the medical lab."

The look on Hiro's face could only be called incredulous. "What?! Are you kidding me?" If he'd been able to, he would have paced the elevator, but since he was confined to the wheelchair, all he could do was fume. It didn't help that he knew they already had his DNA. They wouldn't have to bother with extracting anything further from him if what Kally said was true.

"If I'd thought about it, I might have taken the time to try and take out that detestable woman, but I knew there were more pressing matters at hand. And I could tell from the expression on the doctor's face that he wasn't going to argue. I didn't need to hear it from his own lips to know he would go through with it. And that is something we cannot allow," Loki finished.

Hiro had turned white at that announcement. "You can't be serious," he stated, his eyes wide at the idea. "I can't believe he'd turn on us."

"You were still out of it when Loki brought me the news," Kally took up the narrative, not confirming or denying the betrayal. "He came in pretending to relieve the medic on duty while the doctor was out and told me everything. So, while you slept, we worked on getting everything ready. In less than an hour, Dr. Bosch is going to return to the lab looking for me, probably with an armed guard just to make sure everything goes according to plan. And even if he didn't, I'm sure they'd just find someone else to do it."

The disabled teen looked down at the tablet again, not sure how to deal with all of this. There was too much going on, too many calculations running in his head to make sense of it all. Had this messed up the timing of their escape to the point that it would make it impossible? Were their outside forces in place? Or were they going to have to fend for themselves? And just how was Kally taking all of this?

Hiro looked up to see Kally looked a bit pale under her embarrassment. She did seem to be holding up relatively well, all things considered. But now that she was no longer quite human, and he knew he for sure wasn't, there was no way they could let them get a hold of any more genetic material. The results could be devastating. This place had to go, regardless of whether they were able to leave it or not, though he'd prefer they got out before it went to high heaven.

He had to choke back some bile in his throat, glad he hadn't eaten recently, though the stomach acid didn't feel all that great coming up his esophagus. "So what's the plan?" he managed to say, sounding more than a little hoarse.

"The plan hasn't changed," Loki assured. "We will still disable the distortion field and try to make our way out of this place intact. I've managed to procure some weapons Kally can use while you work on shutting this place down. She'll protect you while I go and take care of some business upstairs. And, hopefully by then, our backup will have arrived."

Man that was a lot of 'hopefully' moments, Hiro thought. He'd be lying if he didn't feel a whole lot of trepidation about this. It would be different if it was his usual team. He knew exactly what to expect from them and how to best utilize their strengths. But he still didn't really know Kally or Loki all that well, nor what they could do. He wasn't sure even Kally knew what all she could do. And in his current state, he was going to be easily ten times slower than usual. These were not ideal odds. He found he really wished Baymax was there, who, more often than not, helped him keep his head on straight and his optimism in the right place. This was going to be rough.

The elevator car stopped without a sound, the doors opening. Hiro knew their altered forms had been intact due to the tech that entered the car, not even glancing their way. It was probably a good thing because part of him felt like hyperventilating. Going on a mission, any kind of mission, without his huggable med bot was nerve wracking in of itself, but going into battle without any of the usual backups, while basically incapacitated, was pure suicide. They were doomed to fail but man he couldn't help but hope they'd figure it out somehow.

"And just where do you think you're going?" a voice asked as Loki pushed Hiro's chair out of the elevator.

Hiro looked up, his face going paler than a ghost, his breath hitching in his throat. He really was going to pass out in a minute, and all because of the person who stood right in front of them.


	60. Breathe

Fred couldn't help but feel excited as he, Thor, and Honey made their way through the foliage. The advance team was already in place and, since they didn't exactly feel comfortable holding onto Thor's belt while he swung his hammer and flew to their destination, they had to go on foot. It would make the going faster if he could use his super jump, but that had been vetoed from the get-go as being too obvious. And with the colorful kaiju outfit, he had to reluctantly agree. But at least they'd been dropped off closer than the others, which helped. They'd probably taken pity on them because of Fred's recent injury.

Honey fingered her chem purse, running through different equations in her mind. What would she need to use first? And how would they know when the field was gone? Would it be obvious? They could only rely on the others to tell them and that made her a bit anxious.

Even though the both of them had worked with different groups before, it wasn't the same without Hiro there with them. "Don't worry, buddy," Fred spoke up with determination as they moved through the trees and almost skidded down an incline. "We're coming to get you."

Thor was more than willing to assist them up any incline too steep for either of them, even if he had to lightly toss them up to the next ledge. So long as he didn't toss them too hard, it usually turned out just fine. And, luckily, it wasn't overly necessary, though there were a few close calls. But they finally moved into position, giving them all a bit of a breather.

Honey called over the comm. link to let the others know they were good to go before checking a scratch on the back of her hand from one of the times she'd been thrown up a dozen or so feet, only to have to scrabble to not fall back down to the previous level. It wasn't bleeding, having scabbed over, but it still hurt.

"You okay?" Fred inquired as he saw Honey examining her hand. Thanks to his suit, he hadn't gotten any scrapes or anything, though there had been a few close calls. He gently took her hand with his covered ones. "You're going to want Baymax to look at that later," he decided. "Unless you got some kind of antibacterial mix in there somewhere." He pointed at her purse.

His words gave Honey an idea and she quickly input a formula, grabbing the orb her bag spit out. Using a rock, she punctured the protective shell and let the liquid inside ooze over her wound. It stung for a bit before the pain subsided. "Much better," she admitted as she cast the rest of the shell aside. Chances were good it would only leak all over the place if she tried to pocket it. "Good to go," she reported with a tight smile.

* * *

Hiro knew he wasn't breathing. He could feel the deprivation seeking to pull him into the oblivion of unconsciousness, which would not be good.

"I asked you a question," Ms. Kendrick repeated as she glared at the three who had just exited the elevator.

Kally quickly grabbed the tablet off of Hiro's lap and swiped the screen to pull up a document before handing it over to the woman. Her shoulder ached in memory of what this person was capable of doing. But Kally wasn't the same now. She could feel her muscles tensing as if to spring forward but she held herself in check. Professor Othin had told her not take Ms. Kendrick on and she was going to listen to his advice.

Ms. Kendrick took the table, frowning. "I wasn't made aware of the transfer," she stated. "Nor do I recognize your patient."

"New test subject from upstairs," Kally answered, her voice not sounding like it usually did. It was deeper, lower in tone, and sounded much older, like it came from a completely different set of vocal chords. "Dr. Bosch sent him."

The woman scrutinized Hiro; the teen hoping whatever façade Loki had created wouldn't fade on them. If only they could get past this woman! There was no way they could deal with her right now. "Very well," Ms. Kendrick stated as she returned the tablet. She swiftly marched past them and entered the elevator, which was still open. She turned at the last moment to face forward, still glaring. Chances were good she was going to double-check the orders once she returned to whatever area she was headed to.

"Breathe," Loki reminded the both of them once the elevator doors had closed.

Hiro especially needed the reminder as he sucked in a lungful of air. Thanks to Loki's magic, however, Ms. Kendrick hadn't been aware of his distress. He closed his eyes as he tried to concentrate on the simple operation of sucking air into his lungs and sending it back out again.

Kally found it easier to control herself than Hiro did and she knelt to his level so she could coach him back to some semblance of normal before they moved on. It took time but was necessary if Hiro was going to keep going. Having talked him down a few times, she was able to bring him out of it sooner than they had a right to hope for.

"We need to move," Loki reminded, glancing back at the elevator. It wouldn't take Ms. Kendrick long to double-check with Dr. Bosch about the supposed transfer. And the moment she realized it was in fact a lie, not to mention realizing they weren't where they were supposed to be, she'd unleash the hounds on them.

Using a little more speed than before, Loki pushed Hiro's wheelchair ahead, Kally having to hurry her pace to keep up. "I'm going to need you to take over," he told Kally while he pulled out his stolen ID card. They were coming up on a set of electronic doors with a key card reader. Wherever they were, this was getting a little more secure.

Loki swiped his card and the doors opened. He stood to one side so Kally could push Hiro through before joining them. But before either of them could get too far down the line, Loki pulled out a gun and fired it at the control panel on their side.

Hiro couldn't help but shudder at the sound, wishing he'd been given some warning, or a pair of ear plugs to block out the sound. Kally felt pretty much the same as she shook her head to clear the ringing in her ears.

"Let's go," Loki said as he pocketed the gun and continued on. With luck, that would make it a little harder for anyone to follow them. He paused at a small door, where he swiped the card again, only to retrieve two metal rods about the length of Kally's arms. "You're going to need these," he said as he handed them to her.

The metal was solid but light as Kally hefted them in her hands. She could do some serious damage with these. Her muscles almost seemed to yearn to use these new tools. Instead, she followed Loki as he took charge of the wheelchair once more.

"Just where are we going?" Hiro wondered aloud, feeling a little more in control of himself, even if he wasn't in control of the situation. His answer came shortly as they approached another set of electronic doors. This one had a hand print scanner along with the card swipe. "I don't suppose you can get us past this one," he hoped as he looked back at Loki. His brief exposure to Ms. Kendrick had drained a good portion of his available energy.

But Loki just shook his head. "I leave that up to you to," he said with a slight bow before maneuvering the wheelchair so he could have access to the panel.

"Sure could use a screwdriver," Hiro muttered as he eyed the security plate. Most hand scanners could be dismantled and tricked, if one knew what they were doing. It helped to have two hands as well, but he supposed he could do it with just one if he had to. He doubted Kally would know how to deactivate this security measure. He did have some experience in the field, after all. It probably wasn't something she could program open without a lot more time, time they didn't have. And as things stood, he'd need more than a little to get things working in their favor.

Loki pulled out a small set of screwdrivers he'd lifted from Hiro's lab. "I thought you might need these," he confessed as he set the bundle in Hiro's lap. "I can be your hands if you need the help. Kally, you keep an eye out while we take care of this."

Kally moved to stand guard, bouncing lightly on her feet as she experimented with the metal rods Loki had provided. "Just try not to take too long," she reminded.

With a little help, Hiro got out a flat head screwdriver and had Loki use it to pry the plate while he undid the surrounding screws with his one free arm. The effort it took was more than he cared to admit, which sucked, but there wasn't much he could do about it. Finally, however, they got the plate removed so he could see the components on the other side.

Hiro let out a low whistle. The components were pretty simple but the wiring was another story. It almost looked as though they'd expected someone to try and get past the security plate and had added in extra wired to trip up anyone who tried to bypass it without the requisite hand print on file. "I was afraid of that," he sighed, quickly explaining what was wrong.

He reached out to touch the wires, hoping to brush aside the fake ones to find the real ones, but quickly pulled his hand back. "Ouch!" He felt as though something had shocked his whole hand. In fact, he could still feel it vibrating unpleasantly. "What in the world?" He used the plastic end of the screwdriver to move the wires aside but couldn't see anything that would have shocked him.

"Are you all right?" Loki asked, looking more than a little concerned as Hiro shook his hand out like it stung. The expression on the teen's face was not encouraging, even though he did reach back in with the screwdriver.

The teen sucked in his breath, silently cursing the IV line still stuck in his arm. He was half tempted to think that the liquid was acting as a conductor for whatever had zapped him. That or it was his imagination. "Can't work with this stupid thing," he gestured back at the IV stand behind his shoulder.

Kally looked back as he gestured at the hanging medications. "But you need that to help mediate the pain," she protested.

Hiro growled. "I don't care about the pain right now!" He aggressively tried to pull the line out with his teeth but Loki stopped him.

"If you're so bent on being free of it, allow me," Loki offered with a resigned look. He'd seen the kind of pain the boy was in and didn't think it a wise move but knew it might be a losing battle. At Hiro's insistence, he cut off the flow using one of the clamps and disconnected the line from the catheter hub. "I'm not taking that out, just in case," he stated firmly when Hiro looked ready to give it another go with his teeth.

Fuming, Hiro slammed his hand back at the mass of wires. At least he didn't need to worry about pulling the tubing, he thought. Another jolt filled his body as his fingers came in contact with the wires, almost like they didn't have any insulation around them at all. He grit his teeth against crying out and kept his fingers there. They had to do this or it would all be for nothing. After another moment, however, he realized the hum of electricity had changed, almost as if his body was adapting to it, or it to his body. And now that he thought about, he could feel which wires were live and which weren't. Well that's bizarre, he thought, but tried not to think too much about it. "You wouldn't happen to have a knife on you, would you?"

Loki patted his pockets but came up with nothing. "Sorry," he apologized. "That's not exactly something they leave lying around. Even the scalpels are locked up back in that medical lab."

"Great," Hiro sighed heavily. "This is going to suck." He reached over once more, grunting as his abdominal muscles protested. He then grabbed the wires all up with his hand and pulled, praying there wasn't an alarm that was going to sound the moment the wires disconnected. Nothing happened and he let out his held breath.

Kally noticed movement out of the corner of her eye, despite the lack of noticeable alarms. "You'd better hurry up," she warned with a hiss. Things were about to get ugly if they didn't get inside that room soon.

Loki tried to get a closer look at what Hiro was doing but the boy turned his shoulder to shut him out. He turned away with a roll of his eyes. Teenagers. Well, they all had their secrets, he supposed.

"Almost got it," Hiro said, the screwdriver now between his teeth as he manipulated the wires with one hand. "Can you hold this," he asked Loki as he came to the critical step, shorting out the system.

Loki moved so he could grasp the wire in question, wondering if he was about to get electrocuted. He was careful not to touch the raw copper part.

Careful not to touch Loki's exposed skin, Hiro pressed the end of the wire he held against the one Loki held. Sparks flew from the two ends but he ignored them, even if he heard Loki hiss in displeasure as one spark hit the back of his hand. "A little more," he urged, pressing the two ends a little closer together. "Slide that card!" he ordered, hoping Loki could access the card reader from his current position. The screwdriver fell from his mouth as he spoke.

It took a bit of doing but Loki managed to pull out the card and, after stretching over Hiro's hunched shoulders, managed to slide the device through the reader. The door slid open and he quickly removed his hand as Kally moved to stick one of her rods between the two doors, just in case they tried to shut on them.

Hiro hurriedly pressed the cover plate back in place, hoping none of the wires would show, not caring enough to double-check as he urged Loki to push him through the doorway and into the next area before anyone noticed.

The doors slid shut behind them moments after Loki cleared them. They almost caught on the hem of his shirt though. There was a metallic click as they locked in place. "Well that didn't sound good," he commented.

"It's not," Hiro sighed. "We're now locked in here behind a good six inches or more of steel. Fail safe," he added. "Should have known they'd have one in place. Now we'll have to either override the entire system or find another way out of here. At least it'll take anyone on the outside a while to get in."

* * *

Wasabi didn't like flying with Iron Man any more than he did flying with Baymax and the others. Even if he was being carried in the man's arms like some kind of bundle, probably because said bundle was usually dropped on the enemy only to explode. And Wasabi did not want that to be him. But, to be fair, his past experiences with this kind of maneuver had helped a little and he managed to keep both his screams and bile down. It just felt safer when he went up with Baymax for some odd reason. Maybe it was because he was the one holding on instead of the other way around.

"Are we there yet?" Wasabi groaned as he closed his eyes. They were flying pretty close to the tree level in hopes that it would prevent them from being seen. They had no way of knowing if there were scouts on the outside, nor how long it would take them to report if there were any. There were just too many unknowns.

Tony gave a wry look down at his passenger, wondering why, for the umpteenth time, he'd put himself with Wasabi. Maybe it was because he felt the man needed the most looking after. The information he'd gotten from the others said Wasabi was still essentially getting his confidence up with everything, though it had improved over the years. He still had some extreme phobias though, and that could pose a serious problem.

"Almost there," Tony assured as he narrowly avoided running into an outcropping of rock. He'd be a bit surprised if Wasabi didn't pee his pants but didn't really have time to worry about it. Either he had or he hadn't, though he didn't smell anything that would indicate one way or the other.

After another minute of maneuvering around the area, he dropped down for an upright landing, setting a shaking Wasabi down. "See? That wasn't too bad," he stated as he looked around, JARVIS already scanning the area.

There were several ground troops in their area, on their side of the mountain, just waiting for the word to head in. They would, of course, take the brunt of the initial assault, hopefully drawing out most of the enemy so the smaller teams could infiltrate.

Wasabi had to take a moment to calm himself. Tony flew way too low for his tastes and if it hadn't been for his visor, he might have lost an eye or two. He'd have gotten few scratches at the very least, he felt sure. But it was done and he was back on the ground again, hopefully for longer than the foreseeable future. "Speak for yourself," he stated once he had his breathing under control. "I'm not an adrenaline junky like GoGo."

Touché, Tony thought but didn't say it out loud. Instead, he continued scanning the area, hoping to pick up on the moment when the distortion field was deactivated. It could happen at any moment, even if it took longer than they wanted. At least they were in place and ready. Now if only Wasabi would stop pacing. It was making him nervous.

"Everyone else in position?" the billionaire called out over his link, trying to distract the both of them.

Fred's voice came over the line, assuring them they were a go. His words were followed by Natasha's assurances that they'd made it to their position as well. Now all they had to do was wait.


	61. All A Lie?

The room Hiro, Loki and Kally had entered looked like a cross between a futuristic engine room from a star ship and a command deck. There were a lot of computers around a central area with a giant blue cylinder that seemed to pulse like a heart sticking up from a platform in the middle. That platform was surrounded by a railing to keep anyone from falling in the gap between the platform and the rest of the room. Even Hiro could feel the energy from where he sat.

Before anyone could get too comfortable, however, a tech stepped out from behind a computer station and paused upon seeing the three intruders. He reached up to activate a comm. link on his head but was silenced before he could activate it as Kally knocked him upside the head with one of her metal rods. Two more techs appeared at the sound and met the same fate.

"Probably better make sure there aren't any more in here before you do anything," she reasoned. she glanced back at Hiro and Loki, who hadn't yet moved from just inside the closed doorway. When she didn't get any kind of response from either, she headed out to check out the rest of the vast room.

As soon as Kally was out of sight, Hiro looked back at Loki. "I noticed you didn't take out Ms. Kendrick with your gun," he stated. "You could have, you know, at least incapacitated her. Why didn't you?" It wasn't that he'd wanted Loki to kill her. That went against everything he stood for, but the notion that he could have and didn't was a curious one.

Loki stared forward. "Guns are such a primitive a weapon," he answered. "They lack finesse. That and they're not my style. But if you want to know the real reason, it's because it would have caused more problems than it solved. Until they decide something is amiss, I believe it best to keep as low a profile as possible."

Hiro had to admit it made sense, though the panic attack he'd practically experienced still didn't like it. He could still feel the edge of anxiety at the back of his neck, wondering if she'd gone and checked up on their "orders" yet and if she'd figured they were fake or not. Part of him also couldn't help but wonder what was going on with Dr. Bosch. Kally hadn't confirmed or denied the hinted betrayal and he wasn't sure he liked that. "And what about Dr. Bosch?"

This time Loki came around so he could look Hiro in the eye, leaning forward as his hands held onto the armrests. "Are you sure you really want to know?" He scrutinized the teen's face, almost as if he were looking for something and wasn't sure if he'd find it or not. That or he was gauging Hiro's reaction to the question.

Loki's inquiry seemed to make something heavy settle in Hiro's stomach, though he wasn't sure what or why. "Yes," he rasped after a moment's hesitation. He winced at the sound of dull thuds coming from further in, knowing Kally had found a few more people to incapacitate.

"If you're sure," Loki asked one last time before deciding Hiro was in complete earnest. He kept a close eye on him though, knowing it had the huge possibility of upsetting him, something they didn't need at the moment. "What I told Kally about overhearing a meeting between Dr. Bosch and Ms. Kendrick was the truth, but there were certain things I omitted from my explanation, from the both of you. If you weren't already sitting, I'd advise you to do so now."

Hiro couldn't help but gulp at that, his skin crawling. What could be so bad that Loki would edit it from his initial story?

"It would seem that the good doctor is not so much good as he is conniving," Loki continued. "After your initial incident due to your refusal to eat the sludge they served for food, they both decided it would be wise to let you think you had an ally. As things stood, he did strongly recommend wearing kid gloves around you as you were in a highly fragile state. But it was after your one episode that completely incapacitated you that they decided to really up the act."

The teen couldn't help but stare in shock. Dr. Bosch's being nice was all an act? His caring? His everything? It was all just a ploy? But why go to such extremes?

"I'm not sure just how much was an act," Loki confessed. "There are some truths you should know. I discovered them after doing some digging. He did have some children who suffered adverse reactions to some experiments with teseract energy that went horribly wrong. And those children did die. Perhaps that gave Ms. Kendrick the idea of having him sympathize with you, because those children were also hers."

"What?!" The word escaped Hiro's lips before he could even think about saying it. But what about all the strange little murmurings he'd heard from the doctor? What about the cold way he and Ms. Kendrick treated each other? Was it all a lie?

Loki couldn't help but notice the distress on Hiro's face. "I was disinclined to believe it at first as well," he assured. "But there is no doubt. He found her several years ago while still working at a less secure facility. She'd been left for dead and he brought her back to life. They fell in love and had two children. But while she was pregnant, he was instructed by his superiors to subjugate her to several different tests, including exposure to teseract radiation, in the hopes of manipulating the fetuses of their twins. The radiation mutated her and killed the unborn offspring."

Hiro wanted to be sick. Just what kind of people were they, willing to use their own family as science experiments? It was just wrong on so many levels.

"As far as I could discover, the mutation merely changed her bone structure," Loki continued on, mentally calling up the medical reports he'd found. "It also destroyed any further chances of her having any children. From the psych evaluations I found, it seems to have affected him more than it did her, which might be why he had his moments of hesitation. But in the end, his love for her, and his loyalty to Hydra pushed him to betray your trust. He allowed his medics to give Kally fertility hormones so they could extract her eggs, hoping her and your DNA would result in success where theirs had failed. It helped, apparently, that you seem to emit a similar kind of energy as the teseract does. They assumed it would mean greater success."

There was a low kind of buzzing at the back of Hiro's brain that seemed to make it fog up. Loki's words barely penetrated when he mentioned how the original schedule had been moved up with Dr. Bosch confessing to the escape plans and the timetable planned. If that hadn't made it to Ms. Kendrick's ears, the procedure wouldn't have happened for another couple of days, to maximize their chances of harvesting viable eggs.

"I do think there were times he was in earnest about helping you escape," Loki confessed, not missing the expression on Hiro's face. "And had it not been for Ms. Kendrick, he might have done it. Then again, maybe not. He struck me as a viper in a rabbit den, but those types are often good at disguising themselves to the point that it's hard to tell until it's too late. One thing I can give you as comfort, he didn't tell Ms. Kendrick who I am. If he had, we would be in a lot more trouble than we already are now."

Hiro gasped, trying to push past the lump in his throat. "Does Kally . . ." He had to swallow. "Does Kally know about any of this?" His brain was slowly starting to try and clear the fog, though it was persistent. It wasn't the first time he'd been betrayed, but the stakes were higher than any other time something like that had happened.

Loki shook his head. "No, and I don't intend to tell her. I think it's better that way. After all, she's had too many heartbreaks, don't you think?"

Images of all his attempts to save his brother flashed before Hiro's eyes and he couldn't help but let out a sound of anguish. He knew what it felt like to be lost, to feel betrayed, even if it was by circumstances and not people. He'd been played too many times before and could only agree with Loki. Kally didn't need to share his pain. Speaking of pain, he could feel the painkillers wearing off and it hurt.

Kally came back around at that moment, swinging one metal rod over her shoulder. She paused at Hiro's far too pale face and grimace. "Hey," she said, hurrying over. "Are you okay?"

Hiro couldn't help but tense his muscles against the sensations filling his broken body, even if they didn't help. "I guess I . . . underestimated my ability to handle . . . the pain," he hissed through clenched teeth. And while most of his anguish was mental and emotional, he wasn't lying about the physical.

Loki frowned but made the critical decision to reattach the IV line, restarting the flow of pain meds. It wouldn't help with the mental pain but it would at least help with the physical. "I knew there was a reason I didn't want to remove that," he stated calmly before turning to Kally. "Is the area clear?"

"I took out about ten or so techs and a few guards," Kally replied, "but I think we should be good. I don't begrudge them the headaches they'll have when they wake up though. Come on." Loki didn't miss the unspoken "if" behind her words. She took charge of the wheelchair and pushed it towards the control station nearest the glowing cylinder in the middle. "If I read the specs correctly, this is the one that controls the distortion field, along with the security grid."

Hiro panted as he tried to control what was going on inside his body. The painkillers slowly trickled back into his bloodstream, though it took them a while to lower the levels enough for him to concentrate. While he waited for that, he did his best to try and close out any further thoughts about Dr. Bosch and Ms. Kendrick. "You should try and find a way out," he reminded, glad the station they'd chosen had more than enough leg room. It would have been more awkward otherwise. The braces didn't exactly allow his knees to bend.

Kally flung her hair out of her face, wishing she had a hair tie. Thoughts of that fateful day in Professor Othin's class filled her mind and how she'd wished for a scrunchie then filled her mind. It was what it was, though. "I think I saw a few air shafts that might be large enough for one of us to get out of. Loki would be a bit too big though."

It was hard to miss the emphasis on "one of us" she used. There was no way he could do it in his current state. And he was needed here. "Guess that'd be you, though it does change things a bit."

"I can project myself outside this room," Loki reminded. "But I'm just as physically stuck here as you are. At the least, I can see if the coast is clear and if there are any obstacles in the vents that might hinder you." He only hoped neither of them remembered he was also capable of changing his form.

Kally nodded. It wasn't the original plan but they were so far off that that it wasn't even funny anyway. Chances were good Loki could defend Hiro if he had to, though with the room on lock down it might not be necessary until later.

Loki closed his eyes and concentrated on the task at hand. It was a piece of cake, really, but he needed to make sure any obstacles were ones that wouldn't deter Kally's progress, not just his own. And while he was at it, he sent off a portion of himself to spy on Ms. Kendrick and the doctor, hoping they hadn't caught on to things just yet, though their chances weren't good.

After about half a minute, Loki opened his eyes. "I can't see any major obstacles," he reported. "But you might want to know it looks like there might be some lasers at the opening to this end of the vent. Do you think you can manage?"

Kally looked between Hiro and Loki, debating. At least one of them needed to find a way out of there in case their backup tried to blow the place to high heaven too soon. Then again, it also helped to have someone on the outside who could lead the rescue party to where Hiro was as well. She doubted Loki wanted to volunteer for that. Call it a gut feeling, but she somehow thought he wanted to stay in the shadows on this one. "Yeah," she answered after thinking it all through. "I'll just need a boost and that screwdriver."

Before heading over in the appropriate direction though, Kally bent to look Hiro in the face. He still looked pretty pale. "Hey, you gonna be okay if I leave you?" Even with the painkillers, she could tell something was wrong.

Hiro opened his eyes, which he'd closed momentarily. "I don't think we have much choice," he admitted as he handed over the screwdriver from his lap. "Try not to get caught and give me as much time as you can to get this thing figured out. I've already used up more energy than I probably should have." He gestured at the computer in front of him. It would be so much easier if he had his gauntlets from his suit but he'd make due.

Kally nodded. "I'll try." She then turned to Loki to make sure he would follow her to the vent in question. If she stood on his shoulders, she should be able to reach it. "This is going to be fun," she tried to joke as she set to work.

* * *

Cass felt grateful. Not only had Bruce Banner given her a nice talk, but he's shown her the way back to her sleeping quarters. She'd never have found it on her own. He really was a nice guy.

She contemplated the conversation for at least an hour before finally falling asleep. And, despite her extended nap the day before, it was decidedly needed. She woke feeling more refreshed than she had before, which was a decided bonus. Maybe it was the tea, or maybe from a sort of peace of mind after talking with the quiet scientist. Either way, it was nice.

The woman stretched and then looked around; realizing they'd brought her suitcase along for the ride. She was more than happy to rummage within the case for a set of clean clothes. She even found a shower adjoining her room, which she took full advantage of.

By the time she felt presentable, another agent came to collect her. She was a little surprised not to see Natasha there, but was quickly informed that the Black Widow had joined the others who were getting ready for the next stage of the rescue mission. She was a bit disappointed but went with it.

"Welcome back," Maria Hill greeted, only turning slightly when the proprietress entered the command deck. "Allow me to bring you up to speed. We've got our troops scattered around the base and are waiting for our inside man to deactivate the distortion field so we can go in. We'll monitor things from up here, and when given the all clear, we'll blow up the base with a few strategically placed bombs."

Cass couldn't help but blink at that. "Oh. Well. Isn't that a bit excessive?" She moved to stand by Maria's side, looking out through the large windows and down as far as her vantage allowed. All she could see was a vast mountain range. Surely throwing a few bombs overboard would draw the attention of more than just those inside the base.

Maria smiled, immediately understanding her companion's expression. "We've already got a cover story for the explosions," she assured. "And yes, it's necessary. We can't let anything from this base out into the world once we've rescued our targets."

The agent knew a lot more about what was going on than Cass did, she mused. She just hoped they all knew what they were doing. "And what if you can't find my nephew?" It was a possibility. The insider could have lied. It might all be just some random wild goose chase, or a red herring to keep them from finding him.

"Then we keep looking," Maria assured. "Either way, this base has to be destroyed." There were a few who might try and retrieve some of the technology before that happened, though she hoped Tony wouldn't be that reckless. Chances were good that anything worth taking was nearer the bottom levels and not as easily removed.

Her words reassured Cass, even though she still felt all jittery inside. They were really doing this. Well, she wasn't, but she got to witness something normal people wouldn't. And no matter what happened, they had to find her nephew. They had to. She didn't think she could live with herself if the last of her family died.


	62. Waiting

Kally squirmed inside the vent. It was a tight fit going through the initial entry point, not giving her more than a few inches wiggle room. But at least Loki had been right about there not being much to worry about outside that first laser grid. She'd taken care of that relatively quickly. And, thanks to Loki's help, she'd managed to boost herself up into the metal tunnel with only a few scrapes.

The main problem was remaining quiet while she tried to make her way to the nearest possible exit. She had no idea how much the noise she made could be heard by those outside the vent, nor did she want to find out. Most action movies agreed that you had to be as quiet as possible while moving through those square or rectangular tubes meant for air flow as quickly as possible.

Several alternate ducts branches off, some smaller than others, but she kept to the main one, hoping to bypass any security so she could reach a decent part of the complex. She doubted she'd be able to change levels without use of the elevator, or stairs, but if she could get past the security checks they'd had to overcome to reach that room, it would make a huge difference.

Every time she came to a vent opening, she peered out, reaching out with that unusual sixth sense to get a general idea of where she was. It hadn't led her wrong yet and she wasn't about to abandon its usefulness. She just wished it would let her know where the enemy was in relationship to where she was. That would have been nice.

Part of her couldn't help but think about Hiro. Would he be okay? Would Loki really stay with him or try and go off on his own? She felt fairly confident in believing that Hiro didn't know all the legendary abilities of the god of mischief. He could transform himself into something smaller and leave the teen genius all alone. The question was would he? She wasn't sure and that thought made her worry more than she might have otherwise. She just wasn't sure why he hadn't revealed that ability to Hiro, though she supposed he had his reasons. She would be just as much at fault if Loki did for not revealing her knowledge of his skills.

Voices came from the next vent opening and she paused, trying to hear what they were saying. They came across a bit muffled so she inched closer to the opening, hoping they wouldn't see her through the slits.

"They've put out a general alert," a male voice said. "I hear at least one of the test subjects managed to get free from its cage."

"I heard someone let them out," a second voice spoke up. "If that's true, we've got a traitor among us. I bet they seal the place off, just to be safe."

Whatever section she'd come across, it apparently was different from the one they'd already gone through. These men were talking far too casually, looking more like techs than the usual guards. But it made her stomach turn hearing herself and Hiro described as nothing more than lab rats. Didn't they value human life at all? Apparently not.

"Kendrick's doing a floor by floor search," the first continued. "Hope they don't mess up anything we're working on."

Definitely techs of some kind, Kally decided. Or researchers. From what she could see of the room, whatever they were working on was likely organic or chemical in nature. There were a lot of test tubes, microscopes, and other related equipment. It wasn't quite a clean lab though. She could barely make out the forms below, neither of whom wore anything outside of the typical medical garb of scrubs. Something organic then, probably.

"Weren't they going to take some samples for you to work on?" the second commented. "I heard they'd scheduled that for today. Can't move on without it."

Kally's heart stopped in her chest. Was this where they were storing her and Hiro's genetic material? It had to at least be related for them to talk that way. What other conclusion could she come to? Except she wasn't sure if there were others incarcerated like she and Hiro had been. There was always the possibility others were involved.

The first man shrugged as he handled a pipette. He had a petri dish in one, the lid off, as he used the pipette to siphon off some of the contents. "Best we can do is use the materials we've got here. Worst to worse, they find another egg donor, though it won't be the same. Either way, all we get is samples."

Okay, they were definitely talking about her and Hiro. She had no doubts now. The question was did they have all the genetic material there in that lab or was more of it stored elsewhere? Man did she wish she had Loki's ability to disguise herself as someone older! She could somehow slip into the room, get the answers by blending in, but that was definitely not going to happen. However, she couldn't let whatever materials they were working on continue to exist. She still didn't know why Hiro was so scared of the idea of them using his DNA, but she knew she didn't like the idea any more than he did that they were playing with hers.

Decision made, Kally wiggled the screwdriver out of her pocket and set to work removing the vent cover. With luck, they wouldn't even look up and she could get in there before they knew anything was going on. It helped that she'd managed to bring her metal rods along with her. But, worse to worse, she could use the tools in the room to subdue her foes.

"I heard they tried to get that one kid's robot to make him more cooperative," the first man continued, heedless of Kally in the vent above. "But it didn't go well. Man, I'm so glad I wasn't in Kendrick's warpath when that blew over."

"Tell me about it," the other replied. "As is, I overheard someone upstairs saying they'd sent out a detachment to get the aunt and bring her here. Guess she's easier to get at."

Kally almost gasped out loud. They were going after Hiro's aunt? Oh crap. Things could go horribly wrong if that happened. They had to get out of there before that happened or it would make things ten times worse.

With a few more jiggles, she managed to get the vent cover free. She held it away from the hole, turning it so she could slide it in ahead of her where it would be out of the way. The next part was more tricky as she tried to slide herself out of the opening without falling. It helped that it was larger than the one going into the engineering area where she'd left the others. But it still made things difficult that it was up as high as it was as she clung to the frame like a spider, one hand holding her metal weapons.

The two men were now bending over a test tube and a microscope, their attentions obviously back on their work, whatever it was. Kally inched just a little bit more into the opening as she planned out her line of attack. She could see two cameras pointing down at the lab, though she doubted her location showed in their field of vision. Well, she was about to let them know exactly where she was. Would it be worth it in the long run? If she could destroy those and any other samples they had on hand, the answer was undeniably yes.

Taking only one more moment to make sure she had a decent backing, Kally sprang downward, pulling out her rods as she went. She didn't cry out as she landed on top of the closest man to her previous location, slamming his head into the worktable. Before the other could react, she swung her baton around and into his head.

Alarms would be sounding soon, if they weren't already. Chances were good she'd been noticed by one of those camera-watching goons. That only meant she had to be more on her guard and hurry that much fast. All she had to do was contaminate the DNA. She didn't have time to outright destroy it.

Kally looked around to see what materials she had available to her. There was a fridge off to one side with various test tubes and other implements in it. It probably held all the samples available to this lab. And, from what she could recall, it didn't look like all the ones they'd taken either. Well, she'd just have to make sure they all went up in smoke. She grabbed the samples the two techs had been working on and shoved them into the fridge.

Not satisfied with just unplugging the thing, she rummaged hurriedly in the cupboards until she found something combustible. It took a bit of doing to get it lit, but once she had it going, she tossed it into the fridge as well, using the unplugged cord to wrap around and tie the doors closed. She could already see smoke filling the enclosed area and could only hope those were the only samples available in this area. It was time to move on.

* * *

"Come on, Hiro," Honey urged, her hands clasped near her chest. They'd been in position for only a little while but it still felt like forever. It didn't help that she knew time where he was went much faster than where she was. They weren't even sure if Hiro would be the one to deactivate it, but it made sense in her mind that it would be. She couldn't imagine anyone else doing it.

Thor paced the area, Mjolnir strapped to a belt around his waist. "He will do what needs to be done when the time is right," he said in response to Honey's nervous energy.

Fred couldn't help but watch the two with a somewhat worried expression. What if something had happened on the inside that prevented whoever from deactivating the field? He knew, after many missions, that things never went according to plan, despite Wasabi always harping about having one. He moved to pat Honey on the shoulder with one claw-covered hand.

"I just can't help but think something bad is happening in there," Honey confessed. "And if we can't get in there soon, we might not be able to."

Thor gave her a look out of the corner of his eye. "While I agree that things are not moving as quickly as I would like, there may be things beyond our control that we must wait upon. Perhaps your friend is not the one who will disable the field. There is no way to know for sure."

"Can you guys just can it?" Tony called over the link. "You're making the others nervous with all this pointless speculation. We all knew, coming into this, that we might have to wait. And if we have to wait until the cows come home, then we wait some more."

Honey's shoulders sank just a little. This certainly wasn't good for morale, she decided. It would help if they weren't just stuck doing nothing. But she also knew that's how things were sometimes, waiting for something else to happen before they could do what was needed. "I think he's right," she sighed.

"Don't worry," Fred comforted. "I know Hiro will come through for us. He has to."

* * *

It took a bit for the painkillers to numb enough of the pain away for Hiro to function again. Under different circumstances, there might be someone there to rub it all in, but there wasn't the time. Nor did he think Loki the type to kick a dog when it was down. But he wasn't an idiot either. Most of the time. He should have known stopping the medication earlier was a stupid idea.

Hiro turned his head to look back at Loki. Now that Kally was gone, had been for several good long minutes, he felt no qualms with venting a little. "I know you could have gone out that vent," he stated. "Why didn't you?"

Loki's eyes went wide at this turn of events. He hadn't thought Hiro was up on his Norse Lore, but apparently he was. He gave an almost apologetic smile. "I needed Kally out of the way," he finally confessed. "I have a feeling she'll be like a small army on her own anyway. That and I can't have her following me when I go after Ms. Kendrick."

"Okay," Hiro said, looking more than a little askance as he returned his attention to the console before him. If he had two working arms, he'd have cracked his knuckles before getting to work. But since he didn't, he pretended he had. It was more a morale booster than anything else. Part of him couldn't help but wonder how he was supposed to hack through a potential fire wall or two with only one hand, but he'd figure out something, even if he had to ask Loki to dangle him upside down from his ankles, as uncomfortable as that would be.

The god of mischief scrutinized Hiro as the teen stared at the screen in front of him. "I'm no expert, but I think you actually need to do something besides stare at it to get the computer to do what we want." While he was fairly good with traditional technology, he wasn't up to code on this, whatever it was. All he knew was that he could feel the thrum of energy coming from the large cylinder before them. And, now that he thought about it, from Hiro as well. It was just different.

Hiro pulled in a deep breath. "Okay, Hiro, you got this," he said as he moved his right hand to hen peck at the keyboard. But as his skin brushed the console, he felt a strange jolt of energy, not unlike from the security plate but not the same either. And, if he really thought about it, he thought he saw that energy arcing between him and the computer. It made his hand tingle in an interesting way that wasn't entirely unpleasant. All the same, he pulled his hand away and shook it out. He shook his head like an injured wet dog for good measure, the sensation running down his spine. "That was unexpected," he admitted.

There was a thud outside the room and both males paused to see if they were about to be invaded. But the doors held, locking out whoever might be on the other side. "You had better hurry," Loki urged. "We really don't have that much time, even if that door was meant to withstand an atomic blast. Once you're well into their system, I'll be heading out."

Hiro's heart hitched at that announcement and he couldn't help but look at Loki with wide eyes. He was deep in enemy territory, with practically every vulnerability imaginable, and this guy wanted to leave him to his own devices? Calm down. Calm down, he told himself. Surely the god of mischief wouldn't just leave him to the dogs, figuratively speaking. There had to be a plan in all this. He just didn't know what.

An idea itched at the back of Hiro's brain, like the energy that had run down his spine, except it didn't seem quite willing to leave. "Hey, do you think you could carry me over to that cylinder?" he asked, pointing at the object in question. There was the guardrail to consider, not to mention the small platform around the energy core. The gap between would make things difficult, but if anyone could get him there, it would be Loki.

Loki looked at Hiro with an incredulous raise of his brows. "You want me to place you right next to a highly volatile energy source that is more likely to evaporate you than do what I think you hope it will do? I've known my fair share of insane people over the course of the years. I've been called one myself. But this plan of yours is so far up on that list it makes all others I'm aware of look tame in comparison. Are you sure you want to risk it?"

When put that it, it did sound pretty crazy, Hiro had to admit. But he had a feeling about it that wouldn't go away. Maybe he'd get zapped. Maybe he wouldn't. Either way, they had to do something. He somehow doubted he'd manage to hack that computer one-handed, even with his false sense of confidence from earlier. He needed two hands for that, which wasn't going to happen. "I'm sure," he asserted.

"Very well," Loki said, his face more than expressing his thoughts. "It's your funeral pire." He helped Hiro wheel the chair out from under the desk so he could lift the teen into his arms. Despite his earlier apprehension about lifting him into the wheelchair, he found Hiro to be unexpectedly light and was able to lift him with ease. "You weigh so little I almost think I could toss you over and you'd float."

Hiro let out a nervous sort of chuckle. "Let's hold off on testing that hypothesis," he urged. "I've been a guinea pig more than enough for one lifetime."

All the same, the sensation of being carried in Loki's arms, including the strain it put on his already abused muscles, was more than enough to make him wince. He hadn't felt this giddy or lightheaded from heights in a long time and it was disconcerting. Maybe it was from the medication still running through his body, even though Loki had thought to remove the IV line once more. It was even worse when Loki had to adjust his arms under his knees and shoulders so he could step over the guardrail and onto the metal platform just beyond. He held on as best as he could with his one good arm, though it wasn't much help since Loki had lifted him from his left side.

Loki couldn't help but stiffen as he felt the energy of the teseract conductor travel through him. He'd played with the actual cube before, but never so unshielded, and the sensation was unnerving. He maneuvered around so he could set Hiro down on the platform without making him fall into the gap between it and the guardrail, which jutted out about a foot and a half from the cylinder, enough that any normal person could stand upright, not sit as Hiro now did. Even with his adjustments, Hiro's feet still dangled over the lip.

The teen groaned. Without something to support his back, he had to engage his abdominal muscles and it wasn't pleasant. "Ow," he uttered as he bent over a bit, his left arm tucked into his chest, the brace pressing against his sternum. "Well, if I'm going to die of electric shock, might as well do it thoroughly," he quipped as he looked longingly at the IV drip still hanging from the wheelchair stand. Oh well. He'd have to make due without. There were worse things.

"You might want to move out of the way before the fireworks start," Hiro noted, his body not quite touching the blue-lit cylinder. Once he touched it, he knew he'd create a connection that could do one of several things. It might make him explode, evaporating his body as Loki had predicted; electrocute him; or do what he hoped it would do, which not even he was sure what that was just yet.

Loki didn't need a second warning as he quickly stepped back over the guard rail. "I hope you know what you're doing. But, at the very least, it's less likely someone will be able to stop you from where you are." More like as not, they'd get a nice jolt from the energy, frying their central nervous systems, killing them on contact. The fact that it hadn't done that to Loki was more on account of his heritage as a semi-immortal than anything else. All the same, it had hurt. And he hadn't even actually touched the cylinder or anything touching it while placing Hiro as he'd desired. "And since you seem all set, at least for the time being, I'll be taking my leave."

Hiro licked his lips, watching Loki transform out of the corner of his eye. He wasn't sure what kind of bird the man had chosen, but he was quickly lost to sight as he went into the still open vent. The room suddenly felt that much larger, pulling up partial memories of being shut into a room in a decrepit warehouse. "No!" He vehemently pushed the memory back where it belonged. He couldn't afford to lose it.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to implement the same meditative technique he'd used back when he'd first met the Doctor and was about to force communication with the alien entity known as the Makt. It did help calm his heart a bit, though his brain continued to tease him with images of past life experiences. A couple more deep breaths and he decided it was about as good as it could get. "Here goes nothing," he said to the air as he reached out his hand and pressed it against the glowing cylinder.


	63. Message

It didn't take long for the alarms to start sounding and Kally was more than ready for it as she took up her metal batons and faced the door. The refrigerator had filled with dark smoke and she felt more than confident that any samples in there were thoroughly contaminated, and therefore useless. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she saw shadows through the frosted glass of the window in the door.

Her muscles felt almost relaxed as she shifted her weight to balance more securely, her knees bouncing just a bit in anticipation. Part of her wondered if this was how it had felt when she'd automatically gone into fighter mode back at Stark Tower. Part of her said yes, the other wasn't so sure. It was still a relatively hazy memory, but that didn't matter. She was about to find out firsthand, in total control instead of being on autopilot.

The door handle jiggled. She'd managed to buy herself a bit of time by locking it from the inside. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to work with in the room. Nothing too great in the chemical department, at least not that she hadn't already used. She supposed she could throw a microscope or two, but that didn't seem all that great of a defense. So, instead, she'd filled her pockets with what medical implements she could find: scalpels, hemostats, and the like. If nothing else, they'd make great projectiles. And thanks to the outfit Loki had provided for her, she had a lot of pockets.

The bolts on the door jamb rattled as someone rammed into the door from the other side. This was getting interesting. How long would it take for them to break the door down? Or would it be more prudent to try and find a way back into the vent? Chances were good they'd figure out where she went either way, unless she could create a smoke bomb or other means to obscure the cameras. Or just take out the cameras. Kally found she liked that idea best.

Looking around, she saw a fire extinguisher, the kind that shot out a sort of pressurized powder. That would do nicely, she decided as she removed it from the wall. Now all she had to do was pinpoint all the cameras, move a few things so she could reach the vent again, and let the stuff fly.

Pinpointing the cameras wasn't hard. It was moving stuff so she could reach the vent that took some doing. The majority of the furniture in the room consisted of lab tables and chairs. But, after using one of the chairs to reach the cameras so she could knock them out, she managed to get a table in position near the wall in question. To that, she added several chairs. All the while, she could hear the shouts and poundings from outside as whoever was out there tried to get in. She also took the opportunity to push another table to block the door. Those things were solid and took more effort than she was used to using, but she didn't break a sweat, which was nice.

For good measure, Kally took a second fire extinguisher she found as well, putting the both of them inside the vent so she could have easy access to them. Then, as carefully as possible, she eased herself up into the air shaft. The procedure took more doing than she cared to admit, possibly since she'd already expounded a lot of energy rearranging the furniture. Several of the chairs fell to the ground, which was just as well. It made it a little more difficult for them to reach the vent.

Just as everything seemed to be going to plan, Kally felt a sharp stab of pain in her thigh. With a hint of impatience, she inched her hand down her leg and felt in the pocket there. One of the hemostats had jabbed through the skin and into her flesh when she'd turned. It was now jammed between her and the vent wall. It took some doing but she finally was able to pull the slightly bent metal out, leaving a trail of blood behind. From the looks of it, it had gone a good inch into her leg. There wasn't enough time to go back down and rummage in cupboards, hoping to find a bandage, so she decided it could wait until she was clear and able to move around more freely.

The sounds at the door were getting a lot louder. It would only be a matter of time before it gave. She could see the hinges already starting to lift under the pressure. It was now or never. She reached ahead of her to the first fire extinguisher and used her teeth to remove the pin. She had to scoot back a bit to get the hose in place where she could use it without getting a face full of the powdered chemical. But once she felt sure things were lined up, she depressed the handle and let the pressured contents fly.

Despite her precaution of moving back so her face wasn't even within the vent opening, some of the chemicals came back at her, making her cough. She had to pause to pull her shirt up enough to cover nose and mouth before finishing with the one canister and moving on to the next, letting the empty one fall into the room.

Wood cracked as the door was forced and Kally gave up on emptying the second canister, tossing it in after the first with the pin pulled. As things stood, the room was filled with fine particulates more than capable of irritating and clouding eyesight and lungs. She quickly moved the vent cover back in place, wedging it since there wasn't time to put the screws back, and began army crawling down the metal tunnel. With luck, she'd be far enough away before they really got in the room that it wouldn't matter if they figured out where she'd gone.

* * *

Hiro felt like a kid at Christmas who'd stuck his fingers in the electric socket instead of inserting the plug for the Christmas lights. His hair seemed to stand on end, energy running through him much like it had with the Makt. Except this wasn't the Makt. Nor was it the power of Q, or the TARDIS, for that matter. But, once the initial shock calmed down, he almost felt like he was stuck in the TARDIS again, with all the energy of the void running through his body.

Maybe this hadn't been such a bright idea, he thought as he noticed the energy tracing through every artery and vein in his body. He could see it through the gown he still wore, and through all three braces. It almost seemed as if the energy had replaced the blood in his body, except he knew that wasn't possible. He'd die without blood. That and he knew it had to still be in there because he hadn't seen any leave his body, nor did he feel like it had evaporated through intense heat.

The smallest part of his brain thought about moving his hand away from the charged cylinder, but it was immediately rejected. He could no more move his hand than he could stand up and walk. The energy was almost sentient and didn't want to let him go. In fact, it almost felt like it was trying to tell him something, much as the Makt had the first few times they'd made contact. He just didn't know what it was.

Hiro felt fairly certain this energy was not necessarily an independent life form. The fact that he could close his eyes and see the very fabric of the world waver and warp told him that. But there was a great amount of power that could be used to create something like a pocket of reality outside of the normal dimension. At the same time, if he tweaked it just the right way, that small pocket of space outside of space fit back into place like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. He could see it in his mind's eyes, fitting snuggly back where it was supposed to.

Something shifted in the air around him. Or maybe it was in the earth itself, like two tectonic plates colliding, except without the earthquake. And he could feel it, the different energies pulling those plates back together again with a resounding thud that could only be felt on an existential level. And then not only could he see that puzzle piece, but all the details inside of it, all the corridors and rooms, like a sort of map in his head to tell him exactly where everyone in that facility was, like an insect with multi-faceted eyes.

Kally was crawling in a vent. She had a different kind of energy to her than the rest of the world around her. It was similar to Loki's, though not the same at all. All the guards, techs, and other Hydra members had a different kind of aura to them as well, in varying shades of red and green. And then there was Ms. Kendrick. Like the dark miasma he'd felt from her, her aura was black. He couldn't help but shudder at it, knowing Loki was heading her way.

Still connected to the energy, Hiro found his mind drifting further outward, beyond the outside walls, almost as if he were a low sort of buzzing in the air. There were more people out there, in varying shades of blue and brown energy. And shining brightly through all that stood five figures, giving of vibrant hues of pink, yellow, red, and green.

With a gasp, Hiro opened his eyes. They were here. They'd actually come. All he had to do was find a way out of this room and up to the entrance level. The question was how. If he could get some kind of message to them, maybe, just maybe, they could find exactly where he was and they could all go home before something else happened.

* * *

"I am detecting a change in energy levels in the atmosphere around us," Baymax announced. An almost sort of wave of energy rippled through the air, tinged lightly with blue. It reached out from the mountain before retreating back inside. And once it was out of view, the entire vista seemed somehow clearer to the eye.

GoGo looked up from digging a hole in the ground with the toe of one of her boots. "You know, I think you're right," she admitted, squinting a bit just to be sure. It was almost as if a heat haze had dropped out of the visual spectrum.

Natasha looked around the area. "Tony, did you get all that? I think they've come through on the inside."

Silence filled the void as Tony had JARVIS scanned the area. Time stretched into several minutes until the Iron Man finally replied. "I think you're right. JARVIS says the energy field has disappeared. I've given them the head's up upstairs and Maria's sending in the ground troops. We're to standby for now."

GoGo rolled her eyes. Waiting was so not her style, but she understood why it would be necessary in this circumstance. "Come on, come on," she urged under her breath, mentally counting down the minutes until they could be called in to search the area for their friends.

"Ground troops have breached the entrance," Maria reported over the link. "Ground teams, stand by for entry."

Baymax watched as GoGo fidgeted. "It is normal to feel anxious before a high stress encounter," he offered helpfully as he scanned her, noting elevated vitals.

"Not now, Baymax," GoGo growled. She glanced over at Natasha, who seemed as cool as a cucumber. Perhaps that was the difference in years of experience. That or it could be because the Black Widow had been a trained assassin. Hiro had uncovered all kinds of interesting data when he'd hacked SHIELD's database. "It's the waiting that's killing me."

Baymax was about to say something else when he straightened. "I am receiving a transmission from inside the base," he stated. He swiveled his head from one side to the other.

"I'm also getting a transmission from inside," Sam spoke up from inside Baymax's armor.

Natasha stared at the robot, waiting for what would surely follow, some kind of explanation of what was going on. But the robot remained silent for over a minute. What were the chances it would take that long to receive a message? "Can you at least tell us if it's from the enemy?" she finally asked.

Baymax blinked as he came back to a more upright position, having leaned forward as if that would somehow make the transmission more clear. "I am uncertain how this is possible, but I believe Hiro is trying to make contact."

GoGo stiffened. "What!? What do you mean you think Hiro's trying to make contact?" She chewed furiously on her gum, resisting the urge to blow a bubble. It would likely pop against her face shield.

"Attempting to verify," Baymax answered. He was silent for several seconds, which felt like an eternity to GoGo. "Verification complete. The sender is Hiro. However, I am unable to decipher the message he is sending me. Perhaps Sam will be more successful."

Natasha shifted her weight, listening to something Maria Hill said on a private channel. "Whatever it is, you'd better hurry. We're up." She adjusted her gauntlets and checked the sidearm strapped to her thigh.

"I 'm unable to decipher the message," Sam announced. "But I think it a good sign he's still alive."

Static sounded over everyone's headsets at that moment. "That's a go," Maria stated over the line once the static cleared. "I repeat, you have permission to engage."

The Black Widow nodded at GoGo who climbed onto Baymax's back. One way or another, they were about to find out what was going on inside. And hopefully they'd figure out what Hiro was trying to tell them while they were at it.

* * *

Loki grinned. He'd found it relatively easy to navigate the vent system, especially once he'd transformed into a small animal more than capable of fitting inside the small space. He'd chosen to go in the opposite direction Kally had chosen, knowing the best way to reach Ms. Kendrick was to head up and towards the center of the complex.

He slithered through the vent with ease, scales rubbing against the metal with barely a sound. Thanks to the skeleton structure of his chosen form, he had no trouble moving up smaller pipes in his quest to reach the next level up. And with his keen senses, he was more than able to locate the woman. There was just one problem.

"How did they get in here!?" Ms. Kendrick shouted from inside the monitor control room. She slammed her fist into the nearest desk, causing it to crack. Red lights flashed as a silent alarm filled the air. The monitors featuring the upper levels showed masses of invaders meeting the Hydra guard.

The god of mischief smirked to himself. Hiro had managed to come through. He'd known the teen could do it. It didn't matter how. The main problem, however, was making it so that he had a good showdown with Ms. Kendrick, who was currently surrounded by mindless minions. Well, they were just as easily taken care of as the next person, he supposed. His skin itched to get in there and get to work.

"Pull up the footage for the engineering bay. And send out the troops. Now!" Ms. Kendrick demanded, her fingernails digging into the palms of her hands as she clenched her fists.

One of the techs hurried to obey, toggling different knobs and pressing buttons. But when he finished, only a blank screen showed for his efforts. Sweat broke out on his face. Loki could smell it. This did not look good for the man and everyone else in the room knew it as they sort of leaned away from his position, turning their heads so they wouldn't see what was sure to follow.

Ms. Kendrick marched over to the tech in question, steam coming from her entire body, her eyes narrowed. "Try again," she ordered as she watched his movements like a snake waiting for any sign of weakness.

The tech went through the sequence again but with the same result. Static showed on the screen. Either something was wrong with the equipment or someone had managed to disable the cameras. He flinched as she raised her hand, expecting her to slap him. Instead, she grabbed him by the throat, crushing his windpipe before throwing him to one side.

"What are you waiting for?!" she demanded. "Send someone down there to find out what's going on!" The other techs rushed to obey.


	64. Malfunction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since yesterday's chapter was so short, I"m giving you another one today.

Kally had to stop. The pain in her leg had grown. It wasn't useless, by any means, but it might get that way if she couldn't do something about that puncture wound. She just hoped it had missed any veins or arteries. Considering that it didn't seem to spurt when she could look at it, she felt she was in the clear. There just wasn't enough room in the ducts to properly take care of it. And there hadn't been vents for a while, just a few junction areas that had given her enough room to sort of look at her wound. Despite the blood not spurting, there was still a decent amount present and she knew she'd need to find something to cover it sooner than later. The metal tool had gone down at an angle and she could only guess at what kind of damage it might have done.

Another disadvantage to the duct tunnels was that she couldn't tell if there were any alarms going off or not. All she could hear was the rush of the forced air, which occasionally blew her hair into her face. She'd paused to try and braid it to bring that down to a minimum, but the ends were still loose and it could come undone at any time. A third disadvantage was the trail of blood she'd left behind, which anyone could follow if they so chose. She really wished she had a map of the whole system. It would have been useful.

Finally, after what felt like forever, light shone into the duct from another vent cover. She crawled over as fast as she could and looked out. The room she'd found appeared to be some kind of barracks room and it appeared to be empty. Even more importantly, there was a bunk bed pretty close to the opening, which would allow for an easier exit. She wasn't sure if she could easily take a fall of more than few feet at the moment. At least not until she'd found something to tie off her wound. Chances were good she'd need a tetanus shot when all was said and done but she'd worry about that later. It had been a while since she'd last had one.

It took some doing to get the vent cover off. She had to use one of the precious medical tools in her arsenal to get it done as she'd somehow lost her screwdriver in the previous room, but she did it. And, with a little ingenuity, she managed to sort of roll onto the top bunk nearest her. It wasn't quite even with the vent's opening but she made it, grunting in pain as her thigh hit against the railing.

Whoever used the bed she'd landed on seriously needed to change their bedding. It smelled three shades more than stale, and there were food crumbs. Kally quickly slid down to the ground floor, brushing off her clothes. It was a wonder the place didn't have roaches, but since it was underground, that might explain it. Maybe the outside environment didn't allow for them either, though she had no way of knowing for sure.

A couple of cupboards stood to one side and she went to rummage through them, finding a first aid kit, which she pillaged. It took her longer than she'd planned to wipe the puncture clean, disinfect it, and cover it with gauze and tape than she'd have liked, but it was necessary. And throughout it all, no one entered the barracks. Something must have changed on the outside.

Kally closed her eyes and reached out with all of her senses. She'd been able to tell the general direction of things before, along with sensing footsteps and such from outside her cell. Surely she could do it again. It took a few seconds to clear her mind, but when she did, she realized the immediate area seemed deserted. But there were what sounded like shouts from above her. Something definitely was going on up there. She just had no idea how far up.

Before exiting the room, Kally took the opportunity to switch out her attire for something in one of the closets, which would hopefully help her blend in more. That and she'd ruined the scrubs with dark red stains. She found a blue coverall similar to the ones the guards wore. She even found something to tie her hair back so it wasn't in her eyes. She chose to abandon the medical tools for the more conventional weapon she found in another cupboard, a retractable bow staff. And, after a little practice, she managed to figure out how to make it retract and expand to the size she needed pending on the size of the area she was in. In its compact form, it easily fit in one of her pockets, freeing her hands for other things. Medical tools, while great for projectiles, didn't allow for closer combat.

Upon entering the corridor, she found it as empty as she expected. The next question was could she find an elevator or a set of stairs that would be just as empty. With only one way to find out, she headed off to find one or the other.

* * *

"We're going in," Fred said gleefully, more than happy to finally get the go ahead. It was fine and dandy to have the support crew sweep out the main area but he wanted some action. He'd been holding onto his fear, frustration, and every other emotion, knowing it wouldn't do anyone any good for him to blow up like he had when Hiro had been kidnapped that first time. But now he had the opportunity to let it all out and he was going to take full advantage of it.

Thor bounded ahead to the opening they'd found, not realizing it was the same entrance Loki had used several times now. "Do not stray too far," he warned as Honey Lemon came up behind him. "Tony will be angered should either of you become injured."

Honey smiled with determination. "We've got this," she assured the Asgardian. "Right, Freddie?"

Fred didn't have time to answer, having come across their first set of foes. "Taser tail!" he announced as he spun around, sparks lighting up along the edge of his kaiju tail. It thwacked into several guards before they could react to what was happening. They went down with a bit of a sizzle and a hiss while Thor's hammer sailed over the lizard-costumed hero.

Honey threw a chem ball to follow up on Thor's hammer throw, sticking the guards who'd tried to avoid the hurtling missile with purple goo. She finished them off with another coating of goo before following after the other two who had gone ahead. "So far so good," she said to no one in particular.

* * *

Wasabi wasn't sure why he'd been paired with Tony Stark. While the man did seem to have some kind of code he followed, it certainly was nowhere near as cautious as Wasabi would have liked. But, once the adrenaline kicked in, he was more than willing to follow the Avenger's lead. "Take that!" he yelled as he sliced through a door that tried to close on them.

Since his plasma blades would more like as not kill anyone he went up against, Wasabi chose to use his weapon of choice on the obstacles around them, mainly doors that seemed to close out of nowhere, security cameras, and bullets sent their direction from the oncoming guards.

Tony was more than happy to barrel through the initial corridor, plowing into anyone who happened to be in his way. After he'd bowled through the first dozen meters, he had to slow down as there were more guards converging on his location, giving Wasabi a chance to catch up. "About time," he growled as he spotted the green-clad hero off to his left. Their entrance had likely been less of an out-of-the-way one, hence all the guards. It was, however, definitely not the main one.

Wasabi resisted the urge to go on a rant. It wasn't his fault Iron Man didn't seem to want to pay attention to the fact that security cameras meant the enemy knew where they were. That and he'd deflected a lot of bullets, along with taking a few, which bounced off thanks to the alien metal coating his armor. He'd still bruise from the impact but it didn't incapacitate him.

"Not everyone can be as fast as you," Wasabi complained as Tony fired up his repulser blasts, sending more guards against the walls, where they knocked themselves out from the impact. Part of him secretly wondered if he could talk Hiro into giving his weapons an upgrade so he could do something like that without getting anyone killed. It went against their code as heroes, even if it didn't seem to go against those in the Avengers. Maybe they really were out of their league.

* * *

"I am still unable to translate the message from Hiro," Baymax announced as they entered the compound. He had GoGo next to him, Natasha keeping pace at his side. Due to the low ceilings, he opted to walk, with the understanding that he'd barrel ahead should the need arise. At least the ceilings were high enough GoGo didn't have to duck if she chose to ride on his back instead.

Natasha fired off a shot at a lone guard she saw ahead. He went down with a grunt, blood seeping out of the bullet hole. "Maybe it's not something you can translate," she stated. Not all messages were words.

"Perhaps you are right," Baymax agreed as he shot his rocket fist ahead of them, knocking several people out of the way. Those who didn't get out fast enough were clocked with one of GoGo's throwing discs.

Another yellow disc flashed through the air before returning to GoGo's hand. "Ugh. I swear we got the easiest entrance. There's hardly anyone here!" She growled her displeasure, more than ready to kick some Hydra butt. The only problem was there weren't many to kick. It almost seemed as though their chosen point of entry was tertiary at best.

"If you like, I can try and interface with the computer system," Sam spoke up from inside Baymax's armor. "Perhaps that will give us a better idea of where everything and everyone is."

Natasha glanced at GoGo then at Baymax with a shrug. "Couldn't hurt to try," she finally answered. If nothing else, they could get a more accurate map of the compound. But with luck, they'd have access to the cameras and thus know where their primary targets were.

Baymax stood still while Sam did her thing. He'd tried to scan the areas past what was visible upon entry but hadn't had much luck. Like in the facility on Akuma Island, there was something interfering with his sensor.

The lights flickered like an electrical storm had kicked up outside and then the lights exploded as Baymax flew back into the wall. "What in the world?" GoGo asked as she picked herself up after having the robot knock into her. The whole corridor was now pitch black so she switched her visor to night vision mode.

"What was that?" the Black Widow asked. "A power surge?"

GoGo saw Baymax sitting against the wall and ran over to him a few paces away. "Hey, you okay?" she asked him. His eyes were momentarily closed but flashed open at her words.

"Hello. I am Baymax," the robot said after standing. He turned his head from side to side. "I appear to have suffered a malfunction. Attempting to run diagnostics."

The lights remained out but a faint glow came from the area near Baymax's data port. "That was not my best idea," Sam admitted from inside the armor. "Looks like someone doesn't want me to join the party."

Natasha tapped the communications device in her ear, cussing. "Looks like whatever that was shorted out pretty much everything in the area, including our communications devices."

GoGo couldn't help but wonder what had happened because her gear seemed to work just fine. Though there was that moment with Baymax and he did say he'd had a malfunction. "Everything good?" she asked him when the robot didn't immediately report about his diagnostics scan. Maybe it wasn't so much that their devices hadn't had difficulties, she decided after a moment. She could no longer hear the other Avengers, just those in her immediate area.

"I think I may have inadvertently fried Baymax's central processing unit," Sam said in a worried voice.

Baymax straightened from the slight slump he'd been in, his arms down at his side. "Diagnostic complete. There appears to be minimal damage. However, this may impair my super sensor until it is able to be fully repaired."

Well, it could have been worse, GoGo supposed. "So long as your usual sensors are working, we'll figure something out," she said as she patted the robot on the arm. "Your hyper-spectral cameras are working properly, right?" She blew a gum bubble and popped it.

"I believe so," Baymax responded. "I will inform you should I encounter any further malfunctions."

Natasha let her breath out. "We should keep moving. If I know anything about Hydra bases, each section has its own power grid. We should find a lit area somewhere ahead. Once we get there, I'll try to hack into their system. Might be easier than having Sam try to go back in." And less likely to get someone shocked, she silently added. Chances were good the AI had accidentally tripped some kind of booby trap.

GoGo nodded, though she wasn't sure if the Black Widow could see her. She didn't seem to have any infra-red or other night vision implements on her so she decided to take the initiative. "This way. I think I saw a door marked stairs."

* * *

Without any kind of warning, all the monitors in the surveillance room went dark. And no amount of toggling, button pushing, or other contrivances made them come back on. Techs feverishly tried, nervously watching Ms. Kendrick out of the corner of their eyes. Failure was never an option. Unless you wanted to end up dead.

"Madame, I believe someone has managed to hijack the computer system," one tech finally spoke up, ducking behind her desk just as quickly.

Ms. Kendrick swiped all the equipment off the nearest table, her face livid. "All of you," she said in an icy calm voice, "had better get out there and look for those brats then. If they're found by these invaders before any of you can recapture them, you will take their place in the next round of experiments. Do I make myself clear?"

The sound of several people swallowing hard filled the sudden silence, along with the rustle of fabric as they all nodded in unison. Chairs scraped against the floor as they stood and quickly headed for the door, all but yanking it off its handle, leaving Ms. Kendrick alone in the room.

She turned to face the empty bank of monitors, her arms crossed. This was far from how things were supposed to go. Sure they were originally going to use those brats to create a robotic monster, but that had changed once their genetic characteristics had come to light. And even though her husband had shown some signs of rebellion, she'd won him over in the end. They should be moving onto stage two right now, except that things had somehow gone horribly wrong. She really hoped her husband had had nothing to do with it. He was rather strong-willed, after all.

"Sulking doesn't become you," Loki said as he stepped into the visible spectrum. He wore his more traditional garb, complete with the horned headpiece.

Ms. Kendrick slowly turned to face the room in general. "Loki," she said with one raised eyebrow. "I suppose I should have known you would be somehow involved. I remember quite distinctly telling the others you were not to be trusted."

Loki gave her one of his best smiles, along with a slight shrug, his arms still down by his sides. But, at a moment's notice, he could pull out his trusty daggers and go to work on her. "You know I prefer to do things my own way. Though it would seem that a few things have changed since my last visit. Your name, for example."

The woman returned Loki's smile with one of malice. "How could you forget your failure to us? It was because of you that I'm like this. You and that damned teseract. I wish I'd never seen it." She flung her arm to one side. "Yes, it gave us great power, and the ability to do many things, but it ruined my life. It destroyed my children."

"Surely you can't blame me for everything," Loki reasoned, his hands now out in a placating gesture. "You didn't even know me until that one event in Germany. I hardly see how anything before that, or after, is my fault."

Ms. Kendrick began to approach Loki, slowly, with measured footsteps. "I know where that teseract came from. I know you were involved in its sudden existence in our world. Don't call me ignorant. Because of that, I was nearly killed back during the world war. I should have been killed. Instead, they froze me in ice until someone could fix my crumpled body."

Loki folded his arms, looking less than impressed with this line of thought. "Is that when your husband put you back together? I'm sorry to say I still had nothing to do with that. You're reaching." Dr. Bosch must have found her in cryo-sleep, he mused. It was the only real explanation. Dr. Bosch wasn't that old.

"Hah." She stopped a few feet from him, a chair between them. "Without the super soldier serum, the best he could do was rebuild my bone structure with metal, making me stronger. And when the teseract was recovered, we tried to use it to create a superior race."

The god of mischief rolled his eyes, his lips still upturned. "I still don't see how any of this is my fault," he said. "I'm not the one who chose to let scientists use you as a guinea pig. Nor was I the one who took your unborn children from you. You can thank your science for that."

"YOU TOOK MY CHILDREN AWAY FROM ME!" Ms. Kendrick screamed, spit flying from her mouth. "THOSE CHILDREN YOU ARE HIDING FROM ME ARE MINE! AND I WILL DO AS I PLEASE WITH THEM!"

Loki couldn't help but lean back at her vehemence. " _Your_ children?" The smile left his face. "A daughter of Asgard is _your_ child? I think not."

Ms. Kendrick took the last few steps between them, pushing the chair out of the way so she could stand and stare up into his slightly higher eyes. "Those children will pay for what they did to me! They took everything away from me! Just like you did." She pulled out a gun from a pocket and aimed it at Loki's chest, but before she could pull the trigger, Loki grabbed her arm and twisted her around so her back pressed against his chest, his other arm restraining her.

"Allow me to set some things straight," he said in a voice colder than the one she'd used. "Those children were never yours, biologically or otherwise. And the only thing I ever did to you was bring you information back when I helped Hydra. My involvement is nothing more or less than that."

She let out a scream of rage as she twisted out of his arms, the gun clattering to the floor. Instead of going for it, however, she lunged at him, trying to grab at his throat.

Loki thrust at her with both his hands, pressing firmly against her chest, sending her flying backwards. "You dare lay your hand on me, mortal?" His eyes flashed, all playfulness now gone from his face. "You dare lay your hand on a god?"

For the briefest of moments, a flash of fear filled Ms. Kendrick's eyes.


	65. Fred Time

Cass Hamada couldn't help but cringe as an image from below blew up on the screen. She could see a lot of soldiers duking it out with the enemy on the ground. Once the field around the base had gone down, a lot of people had swarmed out of the compound, engaging SHIELD's forces. She'd seen a few colorful blips as the Avengers entered the mountain stronghold. She thought she recognized a few of them but wasn't sure. They were too far away for her to accurately identify them, though she had some suspicions.

"This is so nerve-wracking," she said while chewing on her nails. "I don't know how you guys can stand it!"

Maria Hill stood calmly and confidently at her command post, directing the ground troops. The Avengers would do their own thing inside. It was her job to coordinate what was happening on the outside. If they took prisoners that was fine and dandy, though with the way the Hydra agents fought, she wasn't sure how many there would be. They had a funny habit of committing suicide when it looked like capture was eminent. Call it dedication to the cause, or what you will, she thought it a waste.

The woman watched as Cass cringed. "You get used to it after a while," she offered as explanation before ordering her men to fire energy cannons from the floating air base. Explosions ripped the earth below them.

Cass resisted the urge to hyperventilate. It was one thing to see this kind of stuff on the news, once it was done and over with. It was a completely different thing to watch it happen in real time, knowing she was right above the action. If it weren't for the fact that she knew Hiro was down there somewhere, she'd run back to her assigned room and hide. But her nephew was down there and she'd endure this for him. She just couldn't help but wonder where Hiro's friends were. Shouldn't they be up there with her? Or were they viewing events from a different observation area?

Then Cass realized just how close some of those blasts were to the mountain. "Are you crazy!?" She almost grabbed on to Maria but stopped at the looks on several people's faces around her. "You could bring the whole place down on all of them! Including on my nephew!"

Maria didn't so much as change her expression, all business. "Believe me when I say I know what I'm doing," she admonished. "If I were going to destroy the compound, I'd be using a lot more firepower." She waved her hand to signify permission for another volley.

Cass wasn't sure if she should believe her or not but her hands balled up into fists as she watched the display. "So help me, if any of this hurts my nephew, you'll be sorry."

* * *

It was the weirdest sensation Hiro had ever felt. Okay, maybe not the weirdest, but it definitely was high up on the list. When he'd sensed Baymax on the outside, he'd tried to contact him, except no words would come. It frustrated him no end, but he at least hoped the robot knew he was still in there, alive and somewhat kicking. And if not, well, it was what it was.

He'd thought about trying to stand using the powered cylinder as a brace, but decided against it. His physical pain had returned two-fold now that the painkillers had run their full course. It hadn't taken long, probably because of all the energy running through him from the machine he leaned against. It made everything seem to burn up that much faster.

Despite this observation, Hiro couldn't help but feel something completely different. If he let his mind drift, he almost seemed one with the machine, which, in turn, gave him access to the computer systems. It was really a bizarre kind of feeling, but it reminded him so much of everything else he'd been through, the raw potential flowing through him from the energy of so many different things. It was almost like he could hack the system with his mind.

And, now that he thought about, he kind of thought he might have done just that. Either that or his mind had merged with the computer. He wasn't sure which was true. Maybe it didn't matter. What did matter was that he now seemed in complete control, more or less, of the whole system, including the cameras, lights, air flow, and electronic doors. Unfortunately, not all of the doors were electronic. Anything the central computer controlled, he now had access to. And it was kind of exhilarating and scary at the same time. He almost felt like a god. It helped that this new connection somehow distanced him from the one he had with his body, leaving behind aches and pangs for electricity and code.

Alarms went off as those from outside gained access to the base. He turned them off. Cameras that showed where his friends were suddenly stopped working, including the ones for the area he was in. He couldn't see Kally on any of the cameras but figured she was still in one of the ducts or had found an out of the corner place to regroup. It was nice to see Baymax though, and he quickly used the computer to instruct most of those in their area to leave under the guise of a threat elsewhere. He didn't think about how the original connection he'd felt with everything had faded to the background.

Just when he thought he'd gotten his message across to his robotic companion, about safely guiding him to where he was, something happened. He felt something try to invade the computer systems. He had no idea what it was but it didn't feel like it should be there, almost like someone was using a spike to wiggle their way into the system. He wholeheartedly rejected it, throwing whatever energy it had back to where it came from. And that's when that whole area suddenly went dark to his mind. Oops. Maybe he'd overdone it. Any connection he had with Baymax went with it.

A slight backwash of energy threatened to overload Hiro's senses and he had to brace himself against it until he could regain control. It hurt on a completely different level. Just what was that? And how had it been able to tear that hole in the system? He quickly sealed it in case the thing tried again, though part of him doubted it would. He felt like he'd done some kind of damage to whatever it was, though he couldn't be sure.

Another alarm sounded and Hiro focused his attention on the area in question. Wasabi was swinging away like crazy at any cameras near him. It was a good strategy but it made it so Hiro had no idea where the man, or Iron Man for that matter, were. He sighed. Well, he couldn't keep an eye on all of them so he decided to let that one be. The two were doing some decent damage on their own.

He tried to find Honey Lemon and Fred, sure they'd be paired with each other, simply because the two worked so well together. Unfortunately, the only sign of them he could find were cameras that looked to be covered with translucent goo. That would be Honey's work. He could at least guess that they were headed in the right direction, towards the center of the base. The only problem was he was many floors down from there and he doubted they'd figure that out on before things really went to pot.

Some inner sense alerted Hiro to a contingent of guards headed towards where he thought Kally might have headed. He quickly led them astray by closing different electronic doors or activating other security measures, like laser grids. Those were pretty cool. The men had to back up or go around, hoping to reach their goal. He felt like a cat chasing a bunch of rats, knowing he'd win in the end. How fun would it be to send them outside to the forces he knew were out there?

The people on the outside of his current physical room were being a bit persistent, but he felt confident in the room's ability to repel them. The walls were reinforced, as was the door. It would take a lot more than a dozen odd people to break through those defenses. He almost laughed at the absurdly of it all. It was a bit unnerving that they'd gotten past the door Loki had sealed with that gun but it really wasn't that hard to get around.

Just how long had passed since he'd integrated with the system? He had no real way of knowing. Time didn't seem to really exist, at least not on the same level he was used to. One thing was certain; someone had found a console and was trying to get in again. He had no idea who because the cameras in the area had been disabled. Whoever this person was, they were good. He tried to block them but they somehow got around all the firewalls he threw up and it made him panic. How was this possible? He couldn't let them in! There was only one way he could stop this. He had to short out the station, as much as it would hurt both him and the person trying to use it. There was no other way.

* * *

Natasha jumped back as the computer station she'd been working on lit up in a shower of sparks. Her usually calm demeanor couldn't help but look a bit shocked at this unexpected development. The computer system was complex, one of the more complex ones she'd come across, but she had means and ways around that. She'd made some ground when the whole thing simply exploded on her, like it had a mind of its own and wanted to make her stop. That idea was ridiculous of course, unless the system was powered by an artificial intelligence, which was possible.

"You appear to have sustained some minor burns to the back of your hands," Baymax noted as he waddled over to where the Black Widow had backed up in an attempt to stay clear of the sparks. "Would you like me to apply a cooling spray?"

GoGo went over to look as well. There were a few blisters on the backs of Natasha's hands where the sparks had landed. "You might need a little more than a cooling spray for that," she hedged.

But Natasha waved them both off. "I'm fine. More importantly, I managed to get a partial schematic of this place before that thing went haywire. I'm almost tempted to think there's something living inside the computer system. It was almost like playing a game of chess against someone almost as good as I am."

Thoughts of her friend filled GoGo's mind. "It could have been Hiro," she mused, not bothering to explain why she thought that.

Baymax seemed to contemplate the idea as well. "Given previous data, it is possible," he admitted.

Natasha gave both of them a raised eyebrow. "I don't know what you're talking about but apparently there's a lot more to your story than you or the others let on." She looked around, checking the area for threats. "Either way, we need to keep moving. If Hiro did somehow manage to interface with the computer, he'll likely be at a central location to the system's data servers."

"I can try and navigate you to the most likely location," Baymax announced. "I was able to record the images shown on the monitor before it shorted out. Would that be helpful?"

Both women looked at Baymax with some measure of shock. "I didn't know you could do that," Natasha admitted as she contemplated the possibilities. She'd only gotten part of the schematics, and none of them had exactly been labeled. But they matched at least part of what they'd been given by the insider, whoever that was.

Baymax seemed to nod. "Judging from the information, I believe it likely we will learn more by finding a way to go two levels down. There appeared to be an area designed for a large amount of technology. This seems as likely a location as any you were able to uncover."

"Makes sense," GoGo admitted as she chewed her gum. "It's better than just blindly running around and hoping we find either Kally or Hiro." She glanced back at Natasha. As a rule, the Black Widow was still technically in charge, though the adrenaline junky was inclined to go off on her own if the older woman didn't agree with her.

Natasha weighed the information at hand, keeping an open eye for possible targets. She could remember seeing a suite of rooms that seemed wired for a lot of high energy-usage machines. Computers used a lot of energy when put together in a central location, especially if data servers were involved. If Hiro had somehow managed to get to such a place, the one in question was as good a place as any to look. And if nothing else, it might give them a better idea of where to look. "Okay," she agreed. "Let's go."

Baymax pointed the appropriate direction for what appeared to have been a stairway, not sure he trusted the elevators after the recent explosions. "I believe it would be safer to use the stairs," he said by way of apology when they came upon the door marked accordingly.

The Black Widow nodded. While she'd allowed the robot to quickly treat her burns, they still smarted. The last thing they needed was for an elevator to malfunction on them while they were trying to find the missing geniuses. That would really not brighten her day.

* * *

"Look out!" Honey yelled as one of the enemy raised what looked like an automatic machine gun and opened fire. She managed to duck out of the way just in time, quickly typing in a formula to neutralize the threat, or at least incapacitate the user.

Fred had a little more difficult time ducking out of the way but managed to fall into an open doorway, doing a sort of rollover as he went. But he came back on his feet, growling as he got into a karate stance. It hurt a bit but he didn't care. His rising emotions rose over the pain.

While they were distracted, more guards came out of an adjoining hallway and opened fire on all three of them. Thor threw his hammer, knocking several down, but those were joined by more coming from behind and in front of them, bottling them in.

"Any ideas?" Fred asked as the guards ceased firing, their weapons still pointed at the three heroes.

Thor backed up so he was facing one batch of targets. There were close to ten in that direction. Behind him, he'd counted another seven, with eight to the right. "We may have to fight our way through," he announced.

"Put your weapons down," one of the guards said as he moved a foot closer, his gun pointing at Thor's chest.

Honey nervously punched in a chemical equation on her purse and caught the resulting rainbow-colored orbs it spat out. "We can each try and take out the ones we're facing," she suggested. She looked on at the group of eight, while Fred faced the group of seven.

Fred grinned. "Sounds good to me! It's Fred time!" He ducked his head as if to ram the group in front of him, except he backed up so he was against the wall. Knowing this might confuse the enemy a bit, he pressed one foot firmly against the wall. "On three!" Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Thor ready with his hammer. "One." Honey had her chem balls in hand. "Two." He pressed more firmly against the wall. "Three!"

The man in the kaiju suit shot forward like a rocket-powered projectile. Using his super jump to push off from the wall, he plowed through the group in front of him, sending them all over the place like bowling pins. He almost ran into another wall but quickly turned to repeat the same maneuver. "Take that!"

Thor let his hammer fly, swinging it from side to side as he knocked both guns and men into the walls of the corridor. He laughed as he did so. "Not so impressive now, are you," he said as he knocked down the man who'd told them to put their weapons down.

Honey let her chem balls fly. The rainbow goop that came out as soon as they broke filled the corridor with multi-colored foam. She quickly followed it up with several blue balls of a more industrial strength foam to help block the passageway. Sure that was at least sealed for a few minutes, she turned to help Thor and Fred but found they'd managed to knock out their foes. "We'd better get moving," she advised, hearing the muffled sounds of the men behind her foam barricade.

Not waiting to see if the other men could break through or not, Thor agreed. "This way," he said, leading them down the corridor where the most men had come from. If they'd come from that direction, surely there was a reason there had been so many.

* * *

Wasabi resisted the urge to try and crawl up Iron Man's suit. They were currently hovering over what looked like a really far drop in an elevator shaft. Though the idea of forgoing actually using an elevator was probably wise, he still was far from sure about Tony's tactics. "I'm going to die! I just know it!'

Tony rolled his eyes. They'd managed to take out a decent number of Hydra agents, clearing a good chunk of the level they were on for those outside to come in and take prisoners. Now it was time to head to the next level. The only question was go to up or down. Chances were good the command center was nearer the top of the mountain, though the opposite could also be true. "Would you please be quiet?" he admonished. "I'm trying to think."

Maybe it hadn't been such a great idea to simply hover over the empty shaft while he made up his mind, but it was better than just standing at the open doorway, wondering if someone would come along and push them in. At least this way the doors were closed and no one could see them. JARVIS hadn't detected any cameras in the shaft, which was a plus.

"Just pick a direction already!" Wasabi complained as he clung for dear life. He had his arms wrapped around Iron Man's shoulders, his legs around the man's waist. The position was definitely not comfortable for either of them.

"Sir, if I might suggest, it would seem more likely to gain access to the central command center if we go up," JARVIS spoke up from inside Iron Man's helmet.

Tony had to admit he made a good point. "Okay, up it is," he decided as he activated his thrusters. Either way, it should hopefully bring them one step closer to figuring out where both Kally and Hiro were. To his knowledge, none had come across them yet and he hoped to be the first.


	66. Something Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I was without internet for most of the week, but I"m back now!

Kally somehow managed to find her way to the level where she'd spent more time than she'd cared to admit. Her so called lab was on this floor, along with the medical lab, and quite possibly Hiro's lab as well. She'd have to do her best to avoid the medical lab, especially since she knew anyone there was more likely to try and grab her and do what they could before help arrived. No, she was not going to risk that if she could help it.

Instead, she headed towards the further end of the level, hoping to figure out a way to the entrance. She knew it wasn't too far from where she was, maybe a level or two up. The stairs didn't exactly go all the way up or down throughout the complex. Instead, they seemed staggered, almost as if to make escape that much more difficult. But it sure beat using the elevators.

So far, for the most part, the area seemed deserted. She guessed that made sense. Most of them would be out looking for them, and their last known location was much further down. That and she'd heard people talking about invaders from up top. That was sure to keep them busy as well. With luck, she'd be able to meet up with some of the people who'd come to rescue them and then lead them down to where Hiro and Loki were. She hoped Loki was still there. He might have left Hiro to his own devices though, and that was something she had to take into account.

Up ahead, there was a flash of color, red or yellow. Then a disc went flying through the air. She narrowly avoided getting beaned with it by ducking to one side. That maneuver, of course, didn't do her thigh any favors as the bandage tightened against her flesh, momentarily cutting off the circulation when she went down. She'd pay for that later she was sure. At the very least, she felt sure there would be some bruising.

"Hands up," a strong female voice commanded as Kally winced, her face turned to the ground and away from the speaker. There was something vaguely familiar about it but her brain was occupied with other things, such as how to get out of the situation she'd found herself in. And, for whatever reason, her Valkyrie sense didn't seem to want to cooperate.

The sound of a gum bubble popping filled the silence and Kally looked up. "GoGo?" She stared incredulously at the woman in a full yellow bodysuit. She couldn't see past the tinted visor but there was no mistaking that sound. What in the world was going on? And was that Baymax behind her in full out red armor? Natasha was decidedly the easiest of the three to recognize as her face wasn't covered in any way.

"Looks like we found one of them, though how you knew it was me is beyond me," GoGo spoke up as she pointed a thumb in Kally's direction. She had a mag-lev disc in one hand, the other attached to her wrist. "One of two down. But what I'd really like to know is how you got that bruise on your cheek."

Baymax shuffled forward. "Hello Kally. You appear to be injured. On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your pain?"

Kally couldn't help but let out a bit of a laugh. "Oh my gosh. Here I was hoping to run into someone and I run into you guys. Now, could one of you please tell me why you two are here? This isn't a costume party."

Natasha waited only long enough to confirm that they had indeed found Kally before ranging down the hall to make sure the area was secure. She nodded at the other two heroes when she came back.

"Long story," GoGo answered as she moved to help Kally to her feet. "Which can wait until later. We were actually headed in that direction when we found you." She pointed in the direction Kally had just come from, the way that eventually would lead to the med lab.

Kally went a bit pale at that. "Um... that's where I've been kept the last few days," she stated. "The med lab's down there. Actually, that's where the both of us have been for the past while, Hiro longer than me."

"Hiro has been injured?" Baymax asked, tilting to one side. His tone showed his concern. But he had to worry about the patient right in front of him. "Your injuries require my attention," he stated a second later. "I will be better able to care for them where there are more supplies."

Natasha pursed her lips as she observed their rescue-e. "Is there a reason you don't like that idea?" She waited patiently for Kally to respond, keeping an eye out for any potential threats that might enter the area.

The teen dithered. "Well, it's kinda complicated," she admitted. "They were going to steal my DNA to create some kind of super human, mixing mine with Hiro's so yeah, I'm not exactly fond of the idea of going back in there."

GoGo watched the exchange with some impatience. This was the area where they'd decided some kind of technology was located, something that might allow them to find Hiro. And even if it was in the same area as this med lab Kally mentioned, it was worth looking into. "I say we look into it anyway. But if it makes you feel better, you can hide behind us when we go in and take out any threats."

Realizing she was being a bit of a baby, Kally set her jaw. "No. I'm fine. Besides, I'm sure you'll find all kinds of things in there that might help in the long run." She didn't elaborate as she fell in behind Natasha. She was a half Valkyrie. There was no reason for her to be afraid of a few medical practitioners.

* * *

Hiro felt like he'd split into a hundred different aspects of himself as he tried to keep track of where everyone was. The whole camera thing was awesome but he couldn't focus all his attention in more than one spot for long. For one, it didn't allow him to give his full attention. For another, it kind of drained him and he didn't have that much to give in the first place.

"Come on guys," he muttered to himself. "Where do you think you're going?"

He'd managed to locate Wasabi and Tony as they entered the upper levels of the complex. He wasn't sure what they planned on doing up there but they were now even further away from him than he'd have liked. At least whoever had tried to hack into the system had stopped. It was kind of painful, now that he was more or less one with the system, like someone taking a drill to his head.

What really interested him was the sight of Loki and Ms. Kendrick duking it out in one of the surveillance rooms. He'd known there was something unusual about that woman, and the fact that she seemed able to hold her own with a Norse god only confirmed why he'd feared her. She was like a demon as the two crashed into the different consoles and chairs in their way, leaving sparking remains behind them.

The battle got even more heated when it spilled out into the corridor. In fact, they were about one floor below where Wasabi and Tony were now. And if he remembered correctly, Loki hadn't wanted his Avenger friends to know he was involved, which made sense. He'd been on the wrong side of the coin last time and probably didn't want to get caught in the crossfire when they weren't sure which person to shoot at. God or not, he felt certain Loki still bled.

There was one thing that he found concerning though. Despite the fact that Hiro was fairly sure Ms. Kendrick was human, she seemed to be giving Loki a run for his money. In fact, if the cameras were working correctly, he could see a cut running down the man's face from where she'd managed to get a hit in with a wicked looking knife she had in hand. It wasn't as wicked looking as the ones he held, but it still looked nasty. He just had no idea where she'd gotten the weapon. She'd never seemed to carry one before.

Something at the back of his mind hinted that something might be wrong outside his body. He didn't really have time to think much about it though as there was so much more going on around in this computer he'd decided to inhabit. He could look at everything, see all the plans and details, including what they'd intended to use his pseudo copy of Baymax for. And that one made him sick to his stomach. At least it would have if he'd been mentally attached to it that was.

Apparently the plan was to create an army of "medical bots" that could go into different hospitals in the guise of being exactly what Baymax was programmed to be, a healthcare companion. But that's about where things ended. According to what he'd found, they were supposed to insert a certain string of code into whatever Kally created that would essentially turn them into killing machines, effectively shutting of the healthcare protocol, just like he'd done with Baymax when he'd thrown his healthcare chip back on Akuma Island. The only difference was that there was some kind of coded switch they could activate at idea was enough to make him want to vomit. Except, again, he wasn't currently connected with his body.

There really was something about that he should worry about. At least that's what part of his brain kept saying, over and over again. He really should focus a bit more on what was going on there, but again, so many things. And it would likely be ten times more interesting if this system were to somehow connect with another. He could really get lost in that.

* * *

"This is it," Kally confirmed as they stood outside the door of the med lab. She felt her stomach flop a bit, knowing what had almost happened behind those doors. At a look from Natasha though, she nodded. "I'm good." She just hoped it was true because part of her knew she was lying.

Natasha triggered the sensor and the doors opened. A few medics looked up from cleaning the area, one calling out in protest. He got shocked as the Black Widow shot out one of her "widow bites" from her bracers. GoGo took out the others with her flying discs.

Baymax waddled into the room, ducking to go under the shorter lintel. "Excuse me," he apologized as he went around the downed medics. He saw a computer in the corner and went over to access it. "I believe this system is separate from the main one," he commented as information scrolled across the screen.

"You'd be right," a man said as he came out from an inner office, a tablet in one hand.

Kally tensed. "Dr. Bosch," she hissed. "I should have known you would betray us." She made to lunge at the doctor but GoGo held her back.

The doctor moved further into the room, one hand in his lab coat pocket. He looked surprised. "Did you honestly think I was going to go through with it?" he asked, realizing what she probably meant. He'd only been mildly surprised to find both her and Hiro gone when he'd returned after a rather chilling conference with Ms. Kendrick. Even now, he regretted even pretending to agree with the woman. "Though I'm not sure how you found out about the procedure. It's just as well that you left when you did though. I probably wouldn't have been able to keep it from happening, despite all appearances that I was willing to cooperate."

GoGo blew a gum bubble. "Okay, wait just a minute. What's going on here?" She looked from the doctor to Kally and back again, more than ready to let one of her discs fly at the slightest provocation.

"I already told," Kally hissed, not wanting to go into further detail. "And how can we even begin to trust you?" she asked, addressing the doctor. "After what we learned from our mutual friend?"

Dr. Bosch took his hand out of his pocket slowly, showing them it was empty. "I don't know what you were thinking happened. All I know is that when I came back to hide you from my colleagues, you and Hiro were both gone. I'm guessing he's not with you."

"Oh no," Baymax said as he finished downloading the contents of the computer. "I have discovered some disturbing information," he informed the room in general. "Hiro's injuries require my attention."

Kally stared at Baymax. "What? No. When I left him he was fine, maybe a little sore, but he was fine." She shook her head to deny the fact.

"Wait," GoGo said, putting out a hand. "What do you mean Hiro's injuries?"

Before Baymax could answer, the doctor moved towards them, holding out the tablet. "Actually, according to this, he's not fine. I know the original escape plan was to have him hack the system keeping the energy field up, which might be why you thought whatever it is you're thinking. But you should know the medical computers are on a completely different system. I made it that way when I took over. You can be sure the data here isn't some glitch."

Natasha took the tablet and studied the readout. "According to this, Hiro's blood sugar and oxygen levels are getting dangerously low."

"But we removed all the electrodes!" Kally protested. "How could this possibly be the truth?"

Dr. Bosch shook his head. "There's probably something you didn't think to remove, the finger sleeve designed to track blood sugar and other vitals. In a pinch, it can even track pulse and respirations, though that wasn't it's original design. And it transmits all that data to this tablet, which syncs with the lab computers several times every day."

Baymax reached over to gingerly take the tablet from Natasha. "According to this data, Hiro may be entering a comatose state. The frequency of his pulse has decreased significantly."

"No," Kally said, still in denial as she shook her head. "He was fine."

Natasha took her by the shoulders. "Kally, listen to me. This is very important. Where did you leave Hiro?"

But Kally didn't seem able to answer as she backed up into a stool and sat down hard. "No. He was fine. Otherwise I wouldn't have left him there."

While GoGo could appreciate the shock of it all, she couldn't help but feel a bit impatient. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the doctor preparing a bag. "We don't have time for this," she admonished the younger girl. "Hiro may be dying and no amount of denial is going to stop that. Now can you take us there or not?"

GoGo was right, of course. Kally knew she was right but it took an effort to remember everything that had happened, and that it all had to come together. "Yeah, I remember," she said, though her face still looked pale. She grimaced as she stood, rubbing at her thigh.

"Your injury requires my attention," Baymax stated as he shuffled towards Kally. He was somewhat torn though. Here was an immediate need. But the more pressing of injuries belonged to his number one patient. The only problem was proximity.

Kally shook her head, brushing him aside. "Hiro comes first," she insisted. "Then you can worry about me. I just hope he hasn't had another panic attack."

* * *

Tony frowned as they entered what was obviously meant to be some kind of command center. There were several different stations, along with a central area with a raised table where a 3D image of the structure resided. There were a lot of areas lit with red light, probably meaning they were under attack. But the room itself was empty.

Wasabi cringed a bit as he entered the room, fully expecting to have to go in fighting. He relaxed when he realized the same thing Tony had. "Hey, where is everyone?" he asked as he moved to Tony's side.

Tony tried typing on the keyboard connected to the projector but nothing happened. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I don't like it." He made the image rotate with a swipe of his hand, finding where they were on the blueprint. Only two little dots indicated their presence on that level. "This isn't right."

He began flipping through all the different levels, trying to get an idea of where everyone was. It wasn't easy, considering the dots didn't change in color based off of who was an enemy or and who wasn't. He thought that a great oversight on Hydra's part. Surely they had their agents tagged in some way, along with their prisoners.

"Why are the first two levels empty of everyone but us?" Wasabi spoke up, realizing the upper levels seemed just as deserted as where they were. "That just doesn't seem right."

Iron Man shrugged. "JARVIS, think you can talk to this computer and see what's going on?"

The readout on Tony's helmet monitor flashed a bit before JARVIS spoke up. "I do not believe the computer wishes to speak to me at the moment," he announced over the comm link so not just Tony could hear. "I could press the issue but I somehow thing it might not end well."

Wasabi couldn't help but stare at Tony and his suit. "What do you mean it doesn't want to talk to you? Computer programs are just a bunch of code. Can't you just slip in there or something?"

"I'm afraid not," JARVIS replied. "Initial attempts appear to be met with a form of resistance that can only be called a warning. As I do not wish to cause either of you undo harm, I intend to refrain from trying again until invited."

Tony raised an eyebrow at that. "You know that doesn't make any sense," he countered. "Unless the system is run by another artificial intelligence."

"I do not see that as the case," JARVIS replied before Tony could even ask. "However, there is a decided intelligent force behind what is currently occurring inside the system. I get the impression it is somehow organic in nature."

Wasabi shook his head at that. While he knew there were experiments with that kind of technology, they weren't far enough along to be reliable. "Not possible," he said, crossing his arms definitively. But doubt niggled at the back of his mind, like he was forgetting something.

"I hate to interrupt your assumptions," JARVIS spoke up again, "but the intelligence behind the computer system has just now expressed a desire that I inform you that you are looking in the wrong location for your missing friends. It suggests looking at the lower levels."

Tony puckered his lips at that announcement. "Can't argue with that," he finally said. The concentration of warm bodies did seem to be lower down on the 3D projection anyway. "Guess we're going back down."


	67. Oh No

Loki had definitely not intended for the fight to carry out into the hallway, but that was life sometimes. He only hoped he wouldn't be seen by certain people. That would definitely not make things end in the way he hoped they would. Especially not if Thor saw him, or any of the Avengers for that matter. They'd likely tell Thor, and then his oafish brother would know he wasn't really dead and would probably wonder what he was up to, which would ruin everything.

To say the fight was fair would be a lie. Loki did have a bit of an advantage, but, in a way, so did Ms. Kendrick. She seemed the more desperate. Maybe it had something to do with her being somewhat unhinged. Loki did know how to place a well-balanced verbal barb, which had some interesting effects. The latest barb he'd sent out was the understanding that she somehow saw Kally and Hiro as her undeserving offspring, which told him she was decidedly delusional. They'd been going off that point for some time now, to be honest. He still couldn't understand it, nor did he think he ever would.

Loki ducked as the woman threw what was probably once part of one of the office chairs. The implement smashed into the wall and skittered behind him. He couldn't help but look a bit surprised. Her aim was decidedly getting better. Perhaps it was time to end things, before she managed to seriously injure him.

"Were you aware that Kally's mother was an acquaintance of mine?" Loki inquired as he dodged another thrown object by jumping. Maybe her aim wasn't getting better after all. Maybe she'd just had a few lucky shots, he mused.

Ms. Kendrick scowled at that. "It doesn't matter to me what she is." She found something else to throw, trying to keep her opponent off his guard.

Loki tisked, this time catching what she'd thrown and returning it. The item clocked her in the shoulder. "But you should care. You see, her mother was one of the few people I could trust while growing up. She was one of only a handful of people who actually treated me like the son of a king. She understood me and my jokes where others did not. I could relate to her in ways no one else could with me. So when you decided to use her offspring as your scapegoat, you created an enemy. Me."

The woman scoffed. "I don't see you as much of a threat, nor is she. Her DNA is useful to me, it's true, but that's where it ends." She tried charging Loki, grabbing him around the waist but was thrown for her troubles.

The god of mischief straightened up, squaring up his shoulders. Part of him wished he had his blades out once more but chose to leave it be. The close quarters of the corridor made it more risky, especially with all of the broken furniture strewn about courtesy of his target. "I don't think you really understand," he said with a measure of patience. "She was the last of her kind, and, as such, I cannot allow you to desecrate her memory with your barbaric science."

Ms. Kendrick snarled. Her hair had come undone from its tight bun, leaving her with hair in her eyes and cascading down her back. It was almost becoming, except for the wild gleam of hatred in her eyes. "I will do with her as I please," she hissed as she swung at the god of mischief.

Loki tried to dodge but didn't quite get out of the way in time. She managed to hit him in the cheek, making him turn slightly before he came back around with a left hook to the side of her head that she hadn't anticipated. The maneuver gave him more than enough room to start slugging her left and right while she tried to defend herself.

Blood and spit flew as Ms. Kendrick managed to land a blow to Loki's jaw. He reacted to the blow, staggering a bit, which gave her more room to move in with her own barrage of punches and jabs.

Not to be deterred, Loki gritted his teeth and fought back. There was no point on standing on ceremony so he added in some kicks and other shots, going for the more sensitive parts of her body, including the kidneys and knees. He managed to sweep her to the ground with a hook to her left leg, knocking the air out of her lungs. "See? Not as easy to defeat me as you thought." He followed up with a blow to her head, rendering her unconscious.

Feeling more than a little worse for wear, Loki realized there was someone else on the same level they were and he quickly brushed off his hands, wiping the blood from his face. He wasn't sure who was coming. Either way, he didn't dare be seen so he made himself fade into the shadows as he made a hasty retreat. Better safe than sorry.

* * *

Thor could have sworn he heard his brother's voice, if only briefly. But when he came around the corner, there wasn't anyone there. Well, except for the woman on the floor. And, if he recalled, she was one of the people responsible for the kidnapping of both Hiro and Kally. He remembered her picture from the presentation Stark gave before they'd made their final plans. And she looked really worse for wear.

"We should take this one prisoner," Thor announced to his two companions. "Perhaps she will have something of interest to tell us once she regains consciousness."

Honey and Fred exchanged somewhat worried glances as Thor hoisted the unconscious woman up over his shoulder like a sack of rice. They had no idea what kind of injuries she might have and doubted his rough treatment would help, nor were they exactly keen on the idea of carting around someone who had put them in the position they were in now. There was also no way of knowing who had done this to her or why.

A shadow fell from further down the hallway and Fred clenched his fists inside his suit. "If we're taking prisoners, we should probably head back to the surface," he reasoned, though he really wanted to keep searching for Hiro. "None of us will be really effective trying to keep the enemies at bay while keeping her safe."

Thor had to nod. "Your logic is sound. There is, however, another possible scenario." He looked thoughtful as he took in his young companions. "I can take this woman to our forces outside while you two continue searching for your missing friends."

Honey held up a hand. "Wait a minute. I thought we were supposed to stay with you at all times. Isn't that what Tony told us to do?" She glanced at Fred for confirmation.

"That's exactly what I said," Tony said over the comm. link. "And for a very good reason."

Thor looked less than happy with that intrusion of thought. "I do not doubt there is good reason for your counsel, Tony," he replied, using the link he'd begrudgingly taken. "However, circumstances dictate that either I leave them to fend for themselves or they miss the opportunity to aid their friend by accompanying me back to base. What would you have me do?"

A sigh came over the radio. "What level are you on? I can swing by and pick up those two on our way down."

Fred looked around to see if he could find anything that signified the floor. When he did, he relayed the information to Tony before changing channels on his comm. unit. "Man, he sure doesn't sound happy about that."

Honey shrugged. "I'm not sure I really blame him," she admitted. They were essentially being pawned off on a man who wasn't sure they were up to snuff. And even though they had some really cool gear, she couldn't help but think Tony thought his and his teams' stuff was far superior. Well, in a way, he was right. But that didn't mean they couldn't still be helpful. "We should probably meet him by the elevator," she suggested.

Thor adjusted his grip around Ms. Kendrick's shoulders, now protruding over his own shoulders. "I believe they are this way," he said, moving out. "Follow me."

"Well this should be interesting," Fred thought out loud, hoping the thunder god knew where he was going. If not, they were about to get even more lost than they already were.

* * *

He could get used to this, Hiro thought. It was an almost euphoric feeling, being a part of something so much bigger than himself. And the fact that he didn't currently feel any physical pain was a decided plus. Energy flowed around and through him like it was the only thing that mattered. It ebbed and flowed like calming water, and yet held powerful currents as well. And he controlled them all.

Tony and Wasabi were finally headed in the right direction. And he'd seen Loki take out Ms. Kendrick. That was a nice thing to witness. He wasn't sure what Thor intended to do with the woman but decided not to worry about it. More importantly, he could now see where Kally was.

Hiro let out a metaphorical sigh of relief. She looked like she was okay, maybe limping a little but all right. Though he wasn't sure why Dr. Bosch was with her and the others. She'd joined forces with Baymax, GoGo, and Natasha. That was good. Baymax could keep an eye on her. But why was Dr. Bosch with them now? It was too bad none of the cameras in the area had sound.

A sort of righteous indignation filled Hiro's senses until he almost saw red. Dr. Bosch had betrayed them. He was going to allow the unthinkable to happen to both of them. How could Kally let him back into her sight without wanting to deck the guy? He knew if he were there, he'd probably have done everything in his power to take him out.

_Hiro, will terminating Professor Callaghan improve your emotional state?_

Where had that come from? He shook his head. Or at least he thought he did but his mind was somehow no longer actually attached to his body, which was kind of a weird sensation, now that he thought about. When had that happened? He could even look down on his poor husk of a shell and see himself leaning heavily against the pulsing blue cylinder that housed the teseract energy. That housed his consciousness, he realized.

Oh crap! How had that happened? When had he become one with the computer? And how on earth had he managed to somehow break free from his body to do it? It didn't make sense. No. Wait. He wasn't entirely free from his body. He could still feel the pull of his flesh calling him back. But it was so nice to be free from the pain and the restrictions he'd been living with for the past few weeks. He could go anywhere, do anything. He was like JARVIS. Except he was still essentially human and he knew it wasn't supposed to work like this.

Despite realizing all of this, Hiro wasn't sure how to settle his consciousness back into the vessel where it belonged. While his body called him back to it, an almost stronger pull told him to keep going, push further out into the network of information and energy he'd somehow managed to tap into. And the two sources threatened to pull him apart, except he didn't seem to really have an opinion on how he wanted that to end. In fact, he didn't seem to feel anything but the euphoria of being free from the pain.

_You've got to fight it_ , he heard Tadashi say in the back corners of his mind. _You're not ready for this yet._

He blinked non-existent eyes, wondering what his brother meant. Not being ready essentially said it was something he could do but couldn't handle quite yet. Well, some observations said that was true, though he still wasn't sure on the how it was happening or why. Maybe it had something to do with his altered DNA. Hadn't he been able to feel the energy coming off of Ms. Kendrick? And then he had those dreams, which didn't help. This bore further exploration, just not now. Something else was calling for his attention.

* * *

"Oh no," Baymax said as he continued to stare at the tablet Dr. Bosch had given him. "According to these readings, Hiro's vitals are dropping at an alarming rate."

Dr. Bosch looked up at that. "Then we need to hurry." He glanced over at Kally. "I hope you're not leading us on a goose chase simply because you're not sure you can trust me."

Kally rolled her eyes, wincing as she stepped a little too forcefully on her injured leg. "I wouldn't do that to Hiro," she scolded as she opened a door to a deep stairwell. It was different from the one Natasha and her group had used earlier. This one seemed to only headed down. "This way."

One by one, the others followed Kally as she headed down the stairs. Natasha thought about saying something when the teen's leg seemed to give her trouble but thought better of it. If there really was a problem, she hoped Baymax or even Dr. Bosch would say something. "How many levels down?" she asked instead.

"Five," Kally answered. She'd managed to get a general idea after coming up from the barracks she'd managed upon after exiting the vent system. She patted her pocket to make sure the retractable staff was still there, using her other hand to hold onto the railing. Her thigh didn't appreciate the constant motion she forced it to make.

Dr. Bosch almost put out a hand when Kally stumbled a bit but he refrained. She didn't look like she was in the mood for his compassion, though she might be more amenable to it later. He just hoped she could last going down all those stairs, even if it was easier going down than up. And then meeting whatever force was likely down there. If Hiro had holed himself up there in the central engineering area, chances were good there'd be a lot of people there trying to get in and stop him from doing whatever it was he had going on inside.

Finally, after what felt like forever, they reached the desired floor. "I'm going to just hang back," Dr. Bosch stated as GoGo reached for the door separating them from the rest of the level. "I'm not much of a fighter and would probably only hinder you."

GoGo raised one brow at that as she blew a gum bubble. Part of her felt glad he couldn't really see her physical appearance. Not once had she removed her tinted helmet, though the sound of the bubble popping was loud enough he should know she had a wad of gum in there. "Someone should keep an eye on you, just to be safe," she reasoned. Chances were good he was still on the fence about betraying them and she wasn't willing to take the risk he was just stringing them along.

Kally groaned as she accidentally banged the door into her injured thigh while in the process of trying to open it. The jam had stuck and she hadn't expected the force necessary to open it. It sent a jolt of pain up through her body that made her previously injured shoulder tingle oddly. "I'll keep an eye on him," she volunteered. She somehow thought she could take him if it came down to it, knowing that she wouldn't do all that well in a fight in her current condition.

Baymax scanned Kally as the others contemplated the offer. "I believe that would be the best course of action," he agreed. "Your current physical condition does not seem to allow for the kind of exertion that may be required."

Natasha gave Kally and Dr. Bosch both a scrutinizing look. She thought about giving her one of her widow bites as a precaution but noticed the retractable pole as Kally took it out of her pocket. "If you're sure," she asked instead.

The teen nodded. "Just don't take too long, okay?" She grimaced as she leaned against the wall.

Baymax handed the tablet over to Dr. Bosch. It would only hinder him if he continued to hold it. "We will call you when it is clear," he promised. If Hiro was in some kind of distress, it would be wise to bring the doctor in to help, even if it was under duress.

At a nod from Natasha, GoGo pushed the door all the way open and held it so her two companions could enter the hallway beyond. "We won't be long," she assured before the door closed behind them.

* * *

Thor didn't wait for trivialities. The moment Tony took charge of Honey and Fred, he used his hammer to fly up the elevator shaft, heading to the nearest exit. With luck, he'd turn in his captive and return within a matter of ten or so minutes, though Tony wasn't counting on it. He'd stepped free of the shaft, allowing the doors to close while he thought things over.

"This is going to complicate things," Tony commented as he eyed the three students in his charge. There was no real way he could fly them all down to whatever level necessary. Not unless he went one by one, which would take a lot of time. Not to mention having to do the reverse in the end. But, before he could get too far on that line of thinking, the elevator chimed and the doors opened.

Honey and Wasabi exchanged glances with each other before looking over at Fred, who had thrown back his hood. "Um, is it just me or does it seem like the elevator wants us to take it?" the mascot asked, his eyes wide.

Wasabi shook his head. "Uh-uh. No way. I am not stepping into an elevator that seems to have randomly opened up inside an enemy lair as if it's waiting for us to just get inside. Not happening. The next thing you know we'll be plummeting to our death, trapped inside a two ton metal box of doom."

Fred rolled his eyes. "I somehow doubt it would be quite that dramatic," he replied. "After all, most of the enemy seems out of commission. And I somehow doubt they'd send us an elevator just so they could trap us."

This was getting them nowhere, Tony decided. With the elevator there, they couldn't use the shaft, which meant they'd have to find the stairs. Unless they chose to use the elevator. Either way, he didn't like the options.

"Sir," JARVIS spoke up, "I believe it safe to use the elevator."

Tony couldn't help but quirk a brow at that. "Oh you are, are you?" He looked at the three students, noting their expressions. They went from incredulous to somewhat hopeful. "And what makes you say that?"

"The intelligent force inhabiting the computer has assured me he means you no harm and only wishes to take you to the necessary floor," JARVIS replied. "Apparently he wants you to do something."

Wasabi shuddered. "He? Since when did it have a gender? Aren't computers binary?"

"That is the impression I gathered," JARVIS responded. "I believe it safe."

Iron Man let out his held breath. "All right," he agreed. "I guess we're about to find out. All aboard." He led by example and stepped into the enclosed box, waiting for the others to join him.

Fred was the next to hop in, a kind of odd grin on his face. "This should be fun," he stated, bouncing up and down a bit as he waited for the others to get in behind him. Honey wasn't too far beyond, causing the mascot to glance questioningly at Wasabi. "Hey, you coming in or what?"

The engineering student looked more than a little alarmed at this turn of events. "Are you seriously going to trust what a computer in enemy territory tells you? I can't believe this!" But before he could protest further, Tony stepped forward enough to grab him by the front of his breastplate and pull him into the car. The door closed before he could even think about hopping back out. "We're all going to die!" he exclaimed as the elevator began to move.


	68. Explosion

Loki knew he needed to leave that place as soon as possible. He'd only narrowly avoided running into his adoptive brother by a matter of seconds. His time helping the two teens, at least for now, was over. It was time to head on out and hope no one noticed him.

Taking on the guise of one of the SHIELD soldiers, Loki made his way to the nearest exit. Maybe it was a bit of a cowardly act, but he didn't want to ruin what he already had, the rule of Asgard. And there was always the chance that Heimdall had seen through his guise while down on Midgard. He'd have to remedy that by placing him under arrest as a traitor or something. He'd come up with a good reason on the way back home. But there were a few things he wanted to make sure of first off. He had to be sure Kally and Hiro both made it out relatively unscathed so he found a nice perch and disguised himself as tree. He might have to wait a while, but at least he'd know his pseudo gaurdees had made it out.

After only a few minutes of waiting, he saw Thor emerge, carrying Ms. Kendrick over his shoulder. He almost gave himself away as his muscles twitched in reaction to the sight of that woman. He really would have loved to finish the job, but supposed it was just as well that she be taken into custody. It wasn't the end he'd have liked for her but at least she wouldn't be hurting anyone else.

And then he cringed at the sight of Dr. Bruce Banner as he came up from somewhere below, carrying what looked like explosive charges. Well, he had told them the place needed to go up in flames. That was certainly one way of doing it. He just hoped to be miles away before that happened, preferably back on Asgard. But since the ones he was looking for hadn't emerged just yet, he continued to wait, anxiously counting down to when all hell would break loose.

* * *

GoGo cussed the moment she turned the corner. Up until they'd reached the fateful bend in the hallway, things had been pretty easy. In fact, she'd been almost downright bored with events. They'd only come across one or two of the enemy, who were easily dispatched by either a carefully thrown mag disc or by the Black Widow. But now she knew why Kally probably had decided to sit this one out, half-blood or not. The numbers were purely insane. They must really want to get at Hiro, she mused as she pulled back.

"I am detecting twenty individuals ahead of our current location," Baymax whispered. He'd come a long way since their first mission and had learned the value of trying to stay out of the line of sight, or hearing, of any potential targets.

Natasha shook her head. From the sounds of things, they were trying to break into the room in question, just as Dr. Bosch said they likely were. She just hadn't expected for there to be quite so many. "This could be problematic," she sighed. It wasn't that she was incapable of handling that many. It just made it more complicated that they were in a concentrated area, and that she had two pseudo super heroes in tow, both of whom she was only partially sure of as far as their abilities went. It would be so much easier if she could call for some backup but her radio still didn't seem to be working. She knew they wouldn't sit out if she asked them.

The adrenaline junky looked as impassive as ever as she contemplated their odds. Chances were good there would be more either on their way or out of sight. Regardless, it didn't bode well. "We can try going in guns blazing," she suggested.

But Natasha shook her head. "Not a good idea. We need something else to help even out the odds."

Baymax contemplated the information at hand. "It is possible Kally may be able to tip the balance," he said. "While her injury may limit her movements, it is possible her previous ability to overcome these limitations will manifest."

"Only one problem with that," GoGo pointed out. "Someone still has to watch Dr. Bosch. I know he's currently being helpful and all that but I get the feeling we shouldn't completely trust him. Besides, one of us would have to go back and get them and that would make the rest of us more vulnerable."

The robot held up one hand but it was Sam who spoke. "I can jump to the tablet and let them know," she offered. "Since it's on a different system than the previous one, there shouldn't be any problems."

Natasha glanced at the robot as if contemplating the offer. "I almost forgot you were here too," she confessed. It had been some time since the fiasco that had shorted out their communications equipment. And with the mention of trying to hop over to another device mentioned, part of her couldn't help but wonder if something similar might happen again. But she also recalled how Dr. Bosch had confirmed that the medical system was indeed on a different platform. Perhaps it would be all right. "Do it," she ordered, hoping she was right.

* * *

Almost everyone onboard the helicarrier winced as someone down below set off a bomb. Judging from the reactions of those on the bridge, it wasn't one of theirs, which meant the enemy had decided to start fighting dirty.

"Gunner, target that location!" Maria Hill ordered as she pointed in the general direction of where the bomber most likely had come from. It was far enough away from the main entry to maintain a semblance of safety for those still inside, but it also meant one of the smaller openings they'd used earlier would be out of commission.

Cass wrung her hands as she watched the display of firepower ram down into the mountainside. After another few seconds, she turned away, not able to watch any longer. The way things were going, it was more likely the whole mountain would go up in flames before they ever found her nephew. "Any news?" she asked as the sounds died down momentarily.

Maria continued to order her men but paused to take a moment to comfort the anxious aunt. "Not yet," she replied. "Squadron seven, on your left! Incoming enemy fire! Squadron five! Look out!"

That was probably about all she was going to get, Cass supposed as she turned back towards the screen. She knew there were no guarantees in this kind of scenario, but they'd better do something before this woman shot the place to high heaven.

"Dr. Banner has entered the compound," one tech announced, causing the aunt to turn. This was news. She hadn't known the man was going down there. But by the time she looked there was nothing to see. "I have confirmation of first bomb placement."

Cass really spun at that one. "You're placing bombs?!" She reached out agitated hands to shake Maria. "How could you place bombs when my baby is still inside there?! You're going to get him killed!"

"Lieutenant, please remove Miss Hamada from the bridge," Maria requested in a calm, authoritative voice.

A man in a dark uniform moved swiftly yet politely to Cass's side and took her by the upper arm. "Come with me," he ordered. Despite his military precision, he remained gentle but firm.

Cass tried to turn back around to see the fighting below but the man continued to escort her out of the area. "If I find one hair on Hiro's head has been hurt, you'll be sorry!" she proclaimed before the man finally managed to remove her from the bridge.

Maria sighed. It wasn't that she wanted Cass gone, but her exclamations didn't bode well for the rest of her team. It might almost be better to have the woman sedated so she wouldn't cause any further trouble. On second thought, she relayed instructions to have the woman moved back to her quarters and for someone to brew her a soothing cup of tea. If they laced it with a sleeping pill or two, that was up to them.

* * *

Loki felt the low rumble more than he heard it as dirt and other debris suddenly launched itself into the air off to his right. What in the world? It took him only a moment to realize someone was setting off bombs. He glanced upwards where he felt sure the SHIELD agents had a helicarrier, realizing almost immediately it hadn't come from them. The prolonged screams of their men confirmed that.

The man rolled his eyes. "Oh come on!" he protested as he got to his feet. It wouldn't do to have those inside rescue Hiro and Kally only to get blown up by the very people who had kidnapped them. Or to be trapped inside by them either. Something had to be done about that and he knew it had to be him. There was no one else who could enter enemy lines so thoroughly undetected. So much for just sitting back and watching the show.

With a sigh, Loki strode towards the area in question. The bomber might not still be there, but it was a better indicator than anything else. He changed his mind when a volley of ammunition came from above and he had to dive out of the way. Were they all trying to cave in the compound before the others were out?! These people were insane!

Changing course, Loki headed towards the largest concentration of enemy combatants. If he could take out a bunch of them, then maybe that would help even out the score. Too bad he couldn't go in his usual form, he thought as he continued in the façade of a Hydra agent. Well, they had knives, some of them. After all, they did have a guy running around with a bow and arrows, though he hadn't seen him this go around. Perhaps it was just as well. It would be easier for him not to be seen in the crowd. After all, that guy lived up to the name of Hawk-eye.

The first man he came across didn't know what hit him as a knife slid between his ribs and out again before he could even make a sound. He fell to the ground in a sort of slump seconds after Loki had moved on to his next target. He was so efficient that a dozen more fell before they realized someone had infiltrated their ranks, by which time Loki had changed his appearance once more. This was actually kind of fun, he decided, but he had to be careful not to overdo it in any particular area so he pretended to be part of the outraged albeit confused masses for a bit before moving on.

* * *

The ground shook underfoot as Iron Man paused. "What was that?" He looked around to make sure all who were with him were okay. They looked just as confused as he felt. It wasn't that it felt like an earthquake, per se, but it had definitely been enough to make things rattle a bit. "JARVIS?"

"According to Miss Hill, the enemy is setting of bombs on the exterior of the compound," JARVIS responded. "They are retaliating by firing concussive blasts at the areas where the bombers are most likely hiding."

Honey wrung her hands. "That doesn't sound good," she admitted. "If that keeps up, it might make the entire structure come down." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Wasabi start to hyperventilate, wishing she hadn't said anything.

Fred tried to place one of his covered arms over Wasabi's shoulders. "Don't worry, man," he comforted. "I doubt they'd let that happen. Am I right, Tony?" He glanced over at Tony, his hood thrown back. Despite his calming words, his eyes reflected a fear that Honey might be right.

Tony was saved from having to respond by a shout from the next bend in the hallway. They'd already exited the elevator and were heading down what they all hoped was the right direction. "Let's go!" he urged as he charged after the man in question, Fred throwing his hood back in place as he followed.

Honey and Wasabi eyed each other a bit uncomfortably, but the adrenaline seemed to steady the engineer a bit and he charged ahead down the corridor, leaving Honey to follow behind.

* * *

Dr. Bosch almost dropped the tablet as it began to beep. He quickly pulled up the program monitoring Hiro's vitals, realizing that wasn't what had made the sound as the screen flashed. He glanced over at Kally for the briefest of moments. "Um, I think someone is trying to send you a message," he said as he handed the tablet over.

Kally took the devise almost hesitantly. The two hadn't said much of anything after the others had gone ahead. There really wasn't much to be said so she'd found a convenient seat on the bottom stair where she took up residence. The doctor had refrained from sitting next to her, though he had offered to look at her wound, which she'd declined.

Words scrawled across the screen and she sat up straighter. "Crap!" She continued to scan the message, her muscles growing tauter and tauter as she finished it. "Guess I won't be sitting this one out after all," she announced. She handed the tablet back, having to hold onto the bottom railing to aid in getting back to her feet.

Dr. Bosch shook his head. "The way you're behaving, it's probably not a good idea," he countered. "I might have some painkillers I can give you, but chances are good you're going to make your injury worse if you fight."

Kally tapped the small metal rod in her pocket, contemplating her options. If what Sam had transmitted to her was true, the others would definitely need more help. And she somehow doubted they could just ask the others to come to their rescue. They'd have already asked if it were possible, instead of relying on her. No, tt was her or no one. "You can sit this one out if you really want to," she said as she reached for the door leading to the floor beyond. "Your choice. I'm not going to babysit you anymore."

"I didn't know I was being babysat," the doctor said under his breath, choosing to follow her into the corridor, medical bag over one shoulder. The truth of the matter was there was a young man somewhere ahead who really needed his medical expertise, and if he didn't reach him in time, things might not end well. He didn't want to contemplate the possibility that they'd get there too late, but it would definitely end up happening if something wasn't done. Despite the odds, he knew Kally was right to go to her friend's aid. With a sigh, he closed the door behind him, hoping no one would use it to come up behind them and spoil everything.

* * *

Something was wrong. Hiro knew it the moment he realized the upper floors were empty. Only the lower levels held anyone, the levels where he and his friends were. Why had everyone else abandoned ship? Then it hit him as the computer sensors registered explosions on the outside. Did they mean to destroy this place with everyone else still inside? Or was it a tactic to try and draw them out?

Whatever the reason, things were getting far from out of hand. Something had to be done. His friends had to hurry. And the unfortunate thing was he couldn't do anything about it. But he had to make sure his and Kally's DNA didn't end up in the wrong hands. He had to get Tony and his group to understand, to destroy the lab where they were keeping it, before the guards there managed to escape with it.

Grinding his metaphorical teeth, Hiro made half the lights on that floor go out, shorting out the elevator so it was useless. It probably wasn't the best idea, but it would at least buy everyone else time to get that disposed of. They couldn't be allowed to use his and Kally's genes for any reason.

From outside his mind, he vaguely noted the continued sound of someone, or many people, trying to get into the room he was in. They'd been at it for quite some time now. It was only a matter of how much longer the doors could hold against the onslaught. The others might not make it in time. And there he was, lying against the central power base, helpless to stop them if they succeeded. Even if they didn't recover Kally, it would be more than enough if they recaptured him. He just wasn't sure how to prevent that from happening.

* * *

Another Hydra agent went down under Loki's hand. As before, he hadn't seen it coming. There was just a bright splash of blood moments after he'd moved on. And he had a few grenades in his palm from the man's supply. Those would come in handy, he thought as he hefted one in one hand.

Blasts of fire still came down from above, but at least the bombing wasn't as heavy as it had been earlier. All the same, they were still trying to cause as much havoc as possible. Well, he could play that game too. He removed the pin from of the three grenades he had and hurled it towards the largest visible concentration of Hydra agents. He walked away, a huge smile on his face as the thing went off, throwing dirt and bodies high into the air. Ah there was nothing quite like the smell of death, he thought as he breathed in, especially not when those who died deserved it.

"Halt!" a Hydra man challenged him, a gun pointed at Loki's chest. Oops. He'd let his disguise slip just a little, or maybe the man had seen him throw the grenade. Either way, he wasn't going to live for long.

Miming ignorance, Loki pointed at himself before pretending to look to either side. "Yeah, you," the man confirmed as he moved close enough to press the barrel of his gun into the god of mischief's left pectoral muscle. He obviously hadn't noticed the other two grenades in Loki's possession.

A grin, larger than the previous one, filled Loki's face, making his eyes sparkle with mischief as he slammed one of his knife blades into the man's midsection. The man grunted, his eyes going wide as his gun hand went limp. So much for that, Loki thought. Oh well. "I did give you a chance," he said as he lowered the man down to the ground. He'd fallen forward into Loki's body, threatening to pull him down due to his sheer weight.

Loki let out a sigh as he rubbed blood from his hands. Well, at least it wasn't one of his favorite outfits, he mused. It could have been worse. At least he could clean it, once this was all said and done.

* * *

The man they were chasing finally had to stop and Tony raised one of his gauntlet-covered hands to point at the man's chest. That's when the lights went out. The sound of shuffling filled the silence, then something went thud and Wasabi screamed.

Honey Lemon cracked a chem ball, letting out blue goo that glowed in the dark. Even though they had night vision built into their helmets, she wasn't sure if Iron Man did, though she wouldn't be surprised. However, in the line of trying to be courteous, she'd thought it better to be cautious than to assume such was the case.

Fred straightened from his ninja pose. He'd somehow managed to get past all his friends, and Tony, to Taser tail the man in question. He was definitely out for the count as the mascot nudged the man with his foot. "Well that was easy," he said as he turned back towards his friends. "So, who turned the lights out?"

Tony activated a light on one of his gauntlets so that Honey didn't have to hold her goo. It looked kind of runny anyway as it slid between her fingers. "Might be a result of what's going on upstairs," he mused.

But Wasabi shook his head. "Take a look behind us. The lights are still on back there," he pointed out. And he was right. A pool of light almost seemed to beckon to them from the way they'd come. "The question is should we trust it."

Fred let out an exaggerated sigh. "Wasabi, Wasabi," he tisked. "I thought we were over this already." He moved to put an arm around his friend's shoulders but stopped at the sound of footsteps coming from the direction of the lighted end of the corridor. "Uh, sounds like we might have more company," he admitted, pausing like a deer in headlights.

Iron Man nodded as he held his light so it shown at the ground. "If we're careful, we might reach them before they realize we're here," he cautioned. "Let's go." Before anyone could offer a protest, he moved out, sidling towards the far end of the hallway.


	69. I've Got This

Kally couldn't help but notice the carnage the Hydra agents had done to the first door seal they'd had to bypass with Loki. It looked almost like they'd taken some kind of explosive to it as the actual door was pretty much just slag. Well, that was one way of doing it, she supposed. There were a few unconscious bodies nearby, telling her that her new friends had taken care of them before moving on. The real test, of course, was getting into the room where Hiro was. She doubted a simple explosive would allow anyone access to that. The doors had seemed unusually thick, like they were there in case of an atomic bomb or something. Well, it bought them time to kick more Hydra butt, she supposed.

Dr. Bosch followed behind her, noting her limp and the occasional rubbing of her shoulder. He knew, from previously treated patients, that her shoulder had to be bruised still and would likely continue to give her trouble until it had a chance to fully heal. And with everything going on, that didn't look like it would happen any time soon. He could only imagine what kind of damage she'd inflicted just trying to get this far. Chances were good she either hadn't realized it yet or was blocking it out. He'd definitely have to keep a close eye on her, as well as on Hiro when they finally reached him.

It didn't take long to reach the others, all things considered. They were only a turn away from the doors in question. Presumably there was another way to get there from the other end, though Kally couldn't be sure about that. But it made sense.

Natasha looked up as both Kally and Dr. Bosch came into view. "Wasn't sure if that would work," she admitted, now switching her glance to Baymax and Sammy. She then gave Kally an upraising glance, noting the same things Dr. Bosch had only a minute or so earlier. This would certainly get interesting and she fervently wished her communication link still worked so she could call for the others' aid as well. But that wasn't going to happen so they'd somehow make due.

"Uh, guys," GoGo spoke up as she came back from peering around the corner, "I think we may have a problem. I could be wrong but it looks like someone just brought a plasma cutter to the party."

That brought Natasha around in a hurry. "What?" she hissed, hoping GoGo wasn't right but knowing she probably knew what she was talking about at the same time. She probably dealt with those kinds of things all the time when building projects, or was at least familiar with them.

"I am also detecting an addition five individuals," Baymax added to the report. "This does not provide good odds in our favor."

Dr. Bosch blanched. Apparently these agents had been given strict orders to retrieve Hiro at all costs. That meant this was likely an elite team. Experienced or not, his chosen team needed all the help it could get. He felt fairly certain they wouldn't stand a chance otherwise.

Kally resisted the urge to look around the corner. She didn't need to look to know Baymax was correct in his numbers. Twenty-five against ... well, against three, technically four, did not make great odds. She didn't know what kind of support Baymax could offer as a healthcare bot. And she knew Dr. Bosch wouldn't willingly join in on the fight. Not unless he was outright threatened. And, of course, the only one she knew who could truly handle herself was Natasha. She still wasn't sure of her own skills. But seeing how they'd managed to get this far, well, it would have to work out somehow. If nothing else, maybe they could hold them off until help came, as unlikely as that was.

"We're just going to have to go for it," GoGo stated as she popped a gum bubble. She could feel the adrenaline kicking in at the prospect. If they could take out the plasma cutter quickly, that would help. She wasn't sure if her discs could effectively do the job but maybe Baymax could use a rocket fist to push it out of the way or smash it.

Natasha hated to agree but couldn't see any other way around it. They couldn't afford to wait for help that might never come, especially since no one knew exactly where they were. She nodded, lowering down to a crouch as she edged towards the corner. "All right. On three. One. Two. Three."

* * *

Another bomb went off and Loki almost fell to the ground from the blast. How had he managed to miss that one? He let out a disgruntled growl as he searched around for the source. He spotted what looked like a launcher poking up from behind a mound. Was the person, or persons, responsible cowardly enough to hide? Probably. Midgardians were pretty predictable and far from honorable.

Making sure to disguise his features in yet another form, Loki charged towards the area in question. They had to be using some kind of grenade launcher, he surmised. Well, he'd make short work of it and call it done. He was so focused he completely missed the sight of two ravens flying high overhead.

The Hydra agents behind the hill didn't know what hit them as Loki barreled into them like a freight train. Their launcher teetered precariously before it went down and the god of mischief launched it into the air, sending it towards a crevice in the mountainside.

Angered, the five Hydra agents immediately set out to attack him, but he was more than ready for the challenge as he whipped out his long knives and sliced through the first two to reach him. The other three didn't even stand a chance as the blade slid between their ribs or into exposed stomachs. The Kevlar did slow things down a bit but not enough to keep him from dealing the deadly blows.

Several more agents came to see why more explosives weren't being fired into the air and they met a similar fate. And, before Loki knew it, he was swept back up into the battle, the thrill of the hunt singing through his veins as he went after the enemy. This was fun and he could do it all day.

* * *

Wasabi almost felt proud as he nodded in satisfaction. The agents they'd stalked hadn't even known what hit them. And even though he hadn't used his plasma blades on them, he'd managed to knock at least one of them into the next dimension with his gauntlets. The others took care of the remaining enemies, which was a great deal easier to do now that they were back in a lighted area.

"Sir," JARVIS spoke up as Fred finished with the last assailant. "I believe the entity controlling the computer wishes us to investigate the contents of the lab to your right."

Tony turned to the solid door in question. It was sealed from the inside and he was about to try and use his repulsers on it when Wasabi sauntered over, his confidence restored. "I've got this," he stated as he activated his plasma blades and made short work of the door. He stepped back once the opening was clear, just in case someone came at them with guns blazing. No one did.

Instead, two lab techs looked up in shock, test tubes and petri dishes in hand. One of them quickly ran towards a panic button on the wall but was stopped by a chem ball smacking into the side of his head, which broke open and covered him with multi-colored foam. The other tech dropped the tube he'd been holding, which shattered on the ground.

Honey moved into the room and went right up to the refrigerated storage cabinet at the end. "Guys," she sounded a bit odd. "I think this is where they're keeping Hiro and Kally's DNA. She quickly typed in a chemical equation into her purse, which shot out three chem balls. "We need to destroy it so it can't be used."

Tony came back to himself, noting Fred had pounced on the other tech moments after he'd dropped his glass tube. "Uh, yeah," he agreed a bit hesitantly. "Though I can't help but wonder why it's so important."

Wasabi and Honey exchanged glances and the Latina opened the storage door and set the chem balls inside. "Let's just say Hiro's not exactly normal," Wasabi hedged.

"Yeah," Fred agreed. "I mean it's not like he's like Captain America or anything, but he's definitely not normal. Think maybe mutated?" He didn't sound certain. All he really knew was that Baymax had told them Hiro's DNA had somehow changed, though not to what extend.

Honey gave him a look. "Not the words I'd have chosen," she admonished, but it was out in the open now and they could all see the wheels trying to turn in Tony's head. "It's a long story," she sighed.

"Uh huh," Tony said in reply. "I expect to hear all of it once this is over." He glanced at the chem balls she'd put into the unit. "And what are those for?"

Honey gestured Fred over once the mascot had dragged the techs into the hall, with Wasabi's help. "Sam said we needed to destroy the samples so that's what we're going to do." She turned to Fred. "Freddie, do your thing."

Fred swung his tail as he sort of jumped, the end crackling with electricity, which transferred to the refrigerated unit. The electricity activated the chem balls, which quickly expanded into hardened foam. "Take that!" he said with a hint of glee in his voice, ignoring the ping of his still healing flesh wound.

"Now they shouldn't be able to use them, even if they can dig them out," Honey stated. "That foam's industrial grade and should have broken the sample containers inside."

Tony couldn't help but nod a bit. "All the same, I'm not calling off the bomb squad, just to be sure," he admitted. "Speaking of which, we should hurry up and find the others before someone gets a little too antsy." He glanced at the digital time readout on his inner monitor. "JARVIS, any idea where we can find Hiro? Can you ask your computer friend?"

"I will certainly try," JARVIS responded, not at all confident the computer-controlling entity would tell him.

* * *

So far so good, Dr. Banner thought as he placed the fifth of over a dozen explosives. They were linked together and should all go off at the same time when activated. Thankfully, he wasn't the one who was going to push the button activating them, though the fact that they'd asked him to do it wasn't lost on him. They all knew the Hulk would come out before he could die, even if he ended up buried under a ton of rock.

He tried to use what information their inside informant had provided, including a sort of map of the building, which he somehow wasn't sure if all of the others had. Of course, it helped that JARVIS relayed what information they'd gathered to him as well. He was slowly making his way down the levels, trying to place the bombs at strategic locations that would be out of sight but still compromise the overall structural integrity of the facility. He just hoped they completed their full mission before anyone decided to set them off.

If Bruce really thought about it, the idea that having a sack full of bombs slung over his shoulder was more than a little unnerving. What if they were to go off before they were ready? Someone could always accidentally press the activation sequence, or an enemy might hit one with a bullet. He wiped some sweat from his face as he got back down from the perch he'd used to hide the latest bomb.

There was a medical facility of sorts just down the hallway where he'd left one detonator. Thankfully, those who'd come before him seemed to have done a decent job of clearing the area. He wasn't sure what he'd have done if that weren't the case. He knew that in Hulk form, he couldn't be sure he wouldn't accidentally set something off or even remember to put the devices where they needed to go.

With a sigh, Banner headed towards the next set of stairs and began climbing down. He didn't need to hit every floor, just every other, in alternating areas. It didn't help that the lower he went, the larger the level became as it followed the inside contours of the mountain.

* * *

Shouts rang out as a woman in black flew into the corridor like some kind of flash of lightning. She'd incapacitated at least three people before they realized what was happening. And then some yellow discs flew through the air, clocking several more in the head. But it only took them a few seconds to realize what was going on and move to the defensive.

The man wielding the plasma cutter changed his intended target from the massive door to the four people now harassing his team. But before he could let out a stream of the material inside, a giant red gauntlet slammed into him and the device, sending them both flying like pin balls in a bowling lane.

Kally let out an almost primal shriek as she whipped out the metal rod from her jumpsuit pocket, activating it like a toy light saber flung out to ward off an equally fake imperial soldier. Except it was solid metal and opened up on both sides, swinging to whack several more in the head.

More shouts filled the hall as half a dozen more men came from the other end. The calls of their colleagues had alerted them to the need for help, even though they'd previously been occupied with trying to find another way into the room in question. They quickly pulled out guns and opened fire.

GoGo went by in a blur of black and yellow, using her gauntlets to backhand people until her discs came flying back to her wrists. She saw Natasha using some kind of ninja skills on three targets, swinging her legs out as she seemed to fly in the air, twisting at the waist. Man, what would it be like to have moves like that, she wondered.

Baymax waited patiently for his hand to reattach to his arm before sending off another blast at someone trying to retrieve the plasma cutter. This time, the device seemed to explode, making it useless. He hadn't tried to hit them dead on, but the cutter had to go. And when the men tried to attack him, he easily defended himself, apologizing as each one went flying.

All things considered, they were doing pretty well, Natasha thought as she took out yet another guard. Her two female companions fought just as fiercely, even if they didn't have the same skill she did. In fact, Kally's fighting style reflected the same one she'd used back at Stark Tower. Natasha'd had a chance to evaluate it before their current mission. Learned or not, this teen had some skills.

Dr. Bosch, for his part, stayed back behind the corner, occasionally peeking out to see how things were going. He couldn't help but cringe at the way some of the men landed, knowing their injuries were severe, if they'd survived the encounter. He quickly ducked back when a man got close enough to identify him.

GoGo let one of her discs fly back behind her as one of the goons tried to make Dr. Bosch break cover. She'd give the man this much, he hadn't run. Maybe he was a defector after all. But her thoughts were quickly taken back to the battle as one of the men tried to muscle in, causing her to slam into the wall. That was going to bruise, she grunted as she tried to get her bearings.

Realizing guns weren't going to be of much use against at least two of their opponents, several of the still functioning Hydra men pulled out similar batons to the one Kally had. This, of course, made the area much more congested and each of the rescuers had to form off with a set of combatants to reduce the risk of their whacking a fellow compatriot.

Despite the enormous physical activity fighting in close quarters called for, Kally still held her own. She had no time to wonder how the others were doing as she blocked a blow that would have landed against her skull, possibly causing a severe concussion. Using her pole as a sort of ballast, she kicked off the wall, using the momentum to take out two of her assailants. The only problem was that there seemed to be a steady stream heading their way from the opposite end of the corridor. Just how many of these guys were there anyway, she wondered.

* * *

Cass paced her room. She couldn't help but feel like a child who'd been grounded, which was totally not cool or warranted. She'd expressed some very valid concerns. It didn't help that someone had provided what she guessed was supposed to be something to help her calm down. But that wasn't going to happen. She was in no mood for tea or being calm. Her nephew was in danger.

She felt just about, if not more so, irate than she had that night she'd had to pick up both Tadashi and Hiro from the impound after they'd been caught running away from an illegal bot fight. She'd been steaming mad then and she was steaming mad now. In fact, there was likely smoke curling over her head as her pace increased exponentially. If Baymax were there, he'd try to calm her down with soothing words. But he wasn't there.

Thinking of Baymax, Cass couldn't help but wonder just where her nephew's friends, and the healthcare bot, were. She was beginning to think they weren't on the helicarrier at all. She couldn't be sure about this, of course, but it was a growing suspicion. And if that were the case, she really wanted to know why.

And then a few snippets of conversation she'd inadvertently overheard seemed to come back to mind, snippets about how they weren't going to sit this one out. Surely these SHIELD agents weren't stupid enough to let a bunch of college kids down where there was danger, Hiro's friends or not. They were nerds in the truest sense of the word and were more likely to get hurt than to be helpful. Unless someone thought they might be needed in case something had happened to Hiro. But if that were true, why didn't they have her go down? She was his aunt for crying out loud!

She stopped pacing, her foot now tapping against the metal floor. If she were back home at the café, she'd be stuffing her mouth full of donuts right about now. But she wasn't there. She was stuck in a secluded room, probably under guard, because they didn't like her comments. Well, she'd see about that.

Cass schooled her face, and her emotions, as she basically crept to the door and pressed her ear against it. Growing up, she and her brother had gotten into all kinds of trouble sneaking out at odd hours. And they'd often used the ear-against-the-door technique to make sure neither one of their parents were out and about after hours so they could safely sneak out.

It was hard to hear through the metal. It didn't seem to conduct sound the same way as a wooden door would, but she couldn't hear anything outside her immediate room. That, of course, didn't mean anything. They might have left a guard there to make sure she didn't run around or anything. And if that were the case, he or she likely was standing still. Well, she could give them a whack to the side of the head if she had to.

Thinking of that possibility, Cass turned to survey her room. She doubted there was a lock on the door. At least she hadn't seen one, so that made things easier. But if she did need to render someone unconscious, it would be easier to have some kind of tool to do that with. She refused to think of it as a weapon. In general, she disliked violence, but sometimes desperate times called for desperate measures. She did need to make sure they didn't end up bombing her nephew instead of rescuing him.

The room didn't offer much, unfortunately. But, if she wiggled the support beam for the bunk above the one she'd been using, it seemed a bit loose. She knelt on the bed and aimed for the support beam near the back corner, figuring it would make the whole more stable that way. And, after a few muttered cuss words, a potential friction burn or two, and a slight cut from a screw, she managed to get a small length of pipe free from the whole.

Cass took a few experimental swipes with her newfound tool. She almost felt sorry for whoever might end up on the receiving end of the thing, though not enough to deter her plans. Someone had to be the voice of reason up there, even if she had to somehow hijack a ship of some kind to do it.


	70. Won't Let That Happen

JARVIS didn't seem to have much success in trying to get the facility computer's attention. For whatever reason, it either didn't want to talk to him or was no longer able to. And the AI didn't want to press the matter, sure consequences might follow. "I am unable to connect with the entity controlling the computer system," he confessed as Tony forced open another elevator shaft door. The previous one was too far away from their current position and he was getting a bit impatient.

"Great," Iron Man grunted as the doors moved the way he wanted them to. "Well, they're not up so I guess we keep heading down."

Wasabi edged towards the door and looked down. For some odd reason, this shaft seemed so much deeper than any previous ones he'd encountered and he quickly pulled back, looking like he wanted to puke. "No way," he protested.

Honey gave an almost maternal sigh. "We might not have much choice," she reasoned. It would likely take too long to go out of their way to find a staircase that might not be there. "Tony can fly you down and Fred and I will follow." It would, of course, be easier if they had a rope. Or trusted the elevator. But even if it had taken them to a floor that was needed before, there was no way of knowing if that would happen again. And the fact that Tony's initial pressing of the call button hadn't resulted in much didn't help.

The mascot shrugged. "I'm game," he admitted. And part of Fred thought it might actually be fun to go swinging down like some kind of Indiana Jones figure, though he somehow doubted Honey could create a whip from her chemical purse.

"Just close your eyes," Tony instructed as he moved to grab Wasabi around the middle. They'd done it before without incident. They could do it again.

Knowing there really weren't many options, Wasabi gave in, wrapping his arms around Iron Man's neck like a man trying to escape a spider chasing him. He let out a scream as Tony stepped off over the empty shaft. Somewhere now above them, he thought he heard Honey offer a cheerful shout as she followed, with Fred right behind her.

* * *

Bruce had made a mistake. He knew it the moment he set foot in the elevator. He'd ignored the first rule of walking into enemy territory. Trust nothing. Now he was stuck in the dumb thing. It didn't want to go up or down. And nothing he did to the electronics inside the little panel did anything. In fact, he'd probably shorted the darn thing out with his antics. Tony was the tech genius, not him.

With a sigh, Banner leaned against the side of his steel cage. Well, at least he'd have the opportunity to transform into the Hulk sooner or later when the bombs went off. He still had one or two in his pack. It wasn't like he hadn't tried to off himself before. Maybe circumstances would be more thorough this time.

Something in the elevator shaft groaned and he stood up. "Hello?" he called, but didn't get an answer. The groaning, however, continued, softly at first, but growing as cables strained. For whatever reason, they no longer seemed up to their typical task.

"Crap!" Bruce uttered as he realized what was going on. The car titled to one side after a particularly loud snap. He slammed into the far side with the change in orientation of the car. If one cable had decided to snap, what was to keep another one from going? In fact, he could hear the other one straining. If it weren't for the brakes holding it, the first snap would have sent him plummeting.

Bruce tried to jump up to reach the escape hatch but the canted angle of the car wouldn't allow it. And then he heard the other cable snap, having only a moment to brace himself before slamming into the top of the car due to the laws of inertia. He could only hope it didn't have far to fall. At least the bombs he carried weren't the type to be set off by a change in pressure or a sudden impact. He hugged them to his chest anyway, trying to cradle them against the impact. This was going to hurt. A lot.

* * *

"Sorry," Cass mouthed as she stepped over the guard who had, only moments before, stood watch in front of her room. It wasn't like she'd wanted to do this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. And there was nothing on earth that could keep her from saving her baby boy.

The woman strode out into a corridor like she knew exactly where she was going. And, for the most part, she thought she did. At least everything so far looked familiar, though she couldn't be a hundred percent sure. She had been kicking and screaming on the way back, in a manner of speaking. And she hadn't thought to pay as much attention as she should have when heading up to the bridge earlier that morning. Well, she'd find a way there even if she had to walk every inch of the ship, though she really hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Cass had her fists clenched, a silent goading reminder that she was supposed to be livid. It would make her that less afraid of standing up to the Maria Hill, who seemed to have nerves of steel and a greater command of the stink eye than she did. She was definitely a woman to be reckoned with.

Someone cleared their throat and Cass paused, her eyes going wide. That was so not supposed to happen and her brain hit a momentary glitch as she tried to think of what to do in this situation. The noise had sounded masculine in nature, and from a somewhat familiar sounding throat. She slowly turned around.

Phil Coulson stood politely in the corridor, watching her. "I understand you're unhappy with the way Agent Hill is handling the extraction of your nephew," he said without preamble, his hands behind his back, shoulders at ease. "And while some of her methods can be considered extreme at times, I don't doubt her ability to safely coordinate the rescue operation currently underway."

Cass couldn't help but look a bit sheepish as he held out a hand, indicating for her to precede him down the hall, in a completely different direction than she'd been originally heading. "I may have gotten a little carried away," she admitted, guiltily remembering the unconscious man outside her assigned quarters.

Phil gave a somewhat bemused half chuckle as he indicated she should enter through a doorway just ahead. "I'm sure you'll be happy to know that the guard you rendered unconscious only suffered a mild concussion from your actions."

The room they'd entered held a large window, which overlooked the events below. But unlike the command deck, there were several comfortable-looking chairs interspersed with a few tables. "Mess room," Phil explained at her questioning glance. "I thought it might be a better place to talk while letting you still get a view of the action below."

Cass moved towards the window in question, her fingers trembling a bit against the glass as she pressed her palms against the surface. "I'm sure Miss Hill is a wonderful person but I can't help but worry," she confessed. "What if all the explosions down there make the base cave in?" She turned slightly to look at the agent.

"We won't let that happen," Coulson assured her. "I'm not sure you noticed, but she was aiming for areas less likely to affect the whole structure. She's well aware of the possible ramifications of a misguided strike. And if it weren't for the opposing forces setting off some explosions of their own, she likely wouldn't lay down such heavy suppression fire."

She watched him as he went over to a coffee machine and poured a mug of dark brew. "Care for some?" he asked, well aware of her scrutiny. "I promise it's not laced with anything, unlike the tea they left in your room. I think Agent Hill had you moved so you wouldn't make the others nervous. As for myself, I've had my eye on you the entire time."

Cass watched as he poured a second cup of coffee before bringing it over to her. "I guess I was a bit distracting," she ceded, feeling somehow calmer despite her earlier agitation. If she didn't look towards the large pane of glass, she could almost forget what was going on down below them. It wasn't quite the same as when she'd talk to Bruce Banner, but Coulson had a similar calming atmosphere to him.

"You might be interested to know that several Hydra agents tried to infiltrate your café," Phil continued, watching her closely as she sipped the brew. "Thanks to the men we had in place, their attempts failed, though I'm sure they now realize you're not there."

She set the mug down on the closest table, sitting down in the nearest chair as her legs threatened to give out from under her. "They went to the café?"

Coulson moved to sit across from her. "I'm sure you realize they were there to try and collect you, perhaps in the hopes of using you in the very manner we discussed only yesterday. It's fortunate you took it upon yourself to leave for New York when you did. Had you waited even a few more hours, you might not be standing here now but somewhere down in the facility beneath us."

Cass swallowed hard, feeling somewhat sick at that announcement. "They were trying to kidnap me too?" She blinked rapidly a few times, leaning back against her chair.

He reached out a hand but didn't quite touch her. "As I said, you weren't there for them to take and the men we had in place managed to prevent them from entering. You should be able to go back to an undisturbed building. I have some men keeping an eye on things in case they try again, though I don't think it likely."

A shudder ran through her as she wrapped her arms around her chest, tears pricking at her eyes. "Will they never leave us alone?" she asked. "When Hiro showed us he was smarter than the average person, we had to deal with a lot of reporters, especially when he graduated high school early. They just didn't want to leave us alone. But now… now I don't even know why they're going after us!"

Sensing an oncoming waterfall, Phil found some napkins before moving his chair to sit directly next to hers. He didn't even flinch as she leaned against him, all but sobbing into his shoulder. He placed a gentle hand around her shoulders with a somewhat grim smile. This family had been through enough. It was time to make sure her nephew came home.

* * *

Tony wasn't really sure how far down he should go so he decided to just go down as far as the elevator shaft would let him. And with Wasabi practically screaming in his ear, he was glad it wasn't as long a drop as it could have been. It helped that he could go faster than a typical elevator. In the end, they wound up on top of the elevator car assigned to that particular shaft, which was presumably at the very bottom floor.

Honey and Fred weren't too far behind. Honey did have to abandon her stretchy goo a few feet above the actual spot and simply let it fling back like one of those sticky hand toys anyone could find in a little vending machine for a few quarters. Fred had opted to slide down the cables and had to blow his covered hands off once his feet hit solid ground.

Sounds of potential conflict came from the other side of the doors as Tony finally managed to pry Wasabi from his back. There was definitely something going down on the other side and they all looked at each other, some a bit more nervously than others, and nodded. It was all or nothing.

Tony forced the door open in time to see two men running past with what looked like some kind of metal log with handles. He immediately knew what it was for, forcing open doors. He's seen them used many times, though the exact name for the device slipped his mind. One thing was certain, these people were not from SHIELD so he jumped to the defensive to stop them from doing whatever it was they were doing.

"Let's go!" Honey called out in excitement. From the sound of things, there were a lot of people ahead and she was more than ready to get back to work. Fred gave an infectious grin as he flipped his mask back in place. Wasabi gave a nervous kind of frown but was soon caught up in the flow of adrenaline that was almost palpable in the air.


	71. I'm Coming!

Someone must have called for backup, Natasha mused as more people showed up, all Hydra agents. It was like attacking a hoard of fire ants that didn't want to die. Just how many people were housed in this facility? And how many more were coming to try and stop them and reclaim their lost prize? At this rate, the others, minus Baymax, would tire out before they could even get inside the massive doors that still stood closed. And she still had no way to call for more backup on their end.

GoGo zoomed past, trying to head off a new group of enemies fresh from wherever they were coming from. She still had no idea and that bothered her. There had to either be another elevator or stairwell. It was unfortunate that their enemy's communications system didn't seem as impaired as theirs, though the Black Widow supposed they had no one to blame but themselves for that.

Kally, for her part, seemed to be doing well. She currently went up against three different opponents, all using similar weapons. How the girl managed to evade most of the blows, despite her injury, was beyond Natasha, but she was somehow doing it. But even the energy shown there couldn't last forever. They were wearing out fast and that didn't bode well at all.

Dr. Bosch was safely out of the way behind the corner, which was probably the best place for him right now. And so long as they managed to keep the other Hydra agents busy, his potential defection wouldn't be detected until it was too late. Somehow Natasha thought they'd kill the man before they let him leave the organization.

And then there was Baymax, who seemed like a formidable giant but was just a soft marshmallow inside, almost literally. And yet he managed to hold his own. It helped that his armor seemed capable of repelling bullets and the like, though the ricochet did cause some problems, not that it was his fault.

Kally lunged with her staff, trying to whack one of the men she fought across the midsection. Behind her, another man tried to get in on the action, only to get caught up in the back swing as her metal weapon extended at the last second. It was a move he had decidedly not anticipated. Unfortunately for the half-Valkyrie, she didn't anticipate the actions of the third man as he swept in low, taking advantage of her momentary distraction.

Sharp pain flared up as the man's staff made sharp contact with her puncture wound. White light filled her vision and her hands seemed to momentarily go numb, her grip on the weapon loosening. Seeing her peril, Baymax launched one of his fists at the enemy, sending him flying into the wall as Kally went down in agony.

GoGo couldn't help but look over at the sound of Kally's scream. The momentary distraction almost caused her some serious harm, but she quickly returned her attention to the enemy at hand. She'd done this too many times not to know what was necessary. Team members went down but if she didn't incapacitate those around her first, it wouldn't' matter how fast she ran to a companion's side.

Just when it looked like things were really going to get bad, a loud thud filled the air. The sound came from further down the corridor where most of the enemy had come from. It almost sounded like someone had dropped an anvil into the floor. Thuds filled the sudden silence caused by the unexpected sound, causing even their enemies to pause. A matter of moments later, Tony, Wasabi, Fred, and Honey Lemon leapt into the area, guns figuratively blazing.

"About time you showed up," Natasha grunted as Iron Man joined her in the fray. She wasn't sure how he'd known to come to them but was more than grateful to have the numbers even out a bit. She whipped her bracers around and let fire several Widow Bites while Tony's repulsers fired, sending several foes into each other or into solid walls.

Fred came out like a kamikaze dragon bent on destroying everything in its path. He'd seen GoGo almost go down and was not about to let that go without a fight. "Taser tail!" he yelled as he spun around the group who had tried to surround him. They went down in a writhing mass of electrical current.

Wasabi backhanded anyone who came between him and his friends. With his adrenaline up, he was more than ready to use the skills he'd learned over the last two years, slicing and chopping, cutting weapons in half with his plasma blades at an alarming rate.

Honey threw chem balls like they were going out of style. Blue ice spattered the end of the hallway, preventing anyone from heading that direction without suffering a serious mishap. She wasn't sure who the man ducking out of the way was, but he wore a white lab coat and no one else seemed to worry about him so she didn't either. Instead, she focused on throwing orbs of expanding foam wherever she saw an enemy. There were a few ice ones mixed in, just for variety, mostly splattering up the walls and near the corners.

Lightning suddenly filled the upper portion of the corridor as Thor strode down the hallway. Thanks to Honey's relayed instructions, the Norse god had managed to make his way down to them after depositing Ms. Kendrick with the appropriate people. His hammer flew, causing both enemy and ally to duck out of the way, though the results more than made up for the inconvenience. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized to the group as a whole.

Baymax shielded Kally from the majority of the following onslaught, more than aware that she was in no condition to fight. A dark red stain slowly spread its way across her thigh as she used the robot's armor to get back to her feet. And, with Baymax as cover, she managed to make her way to the end of the corridor towards Dr. Bosch. Unfortunately, due to the ice slick Honey had created, she went down the moment her feet touched the blue surface. Since the robot hadn't yet touched that part of the floor, he managed to remain upright, deciding to stay where he was to avoid falling on top of her.

After only a matter of minutes, but what felt like an eternity, the fighting came to a halt. The majority of the Hydra agents were either unconscious or otherwise incapacitated. Wasabi was more than willing to give them all a good knock to the head when something loud rumbled off in the distance.

The Big Heroes and Avengers turned towards the direction the sound came from, bracing for action. Then a loud half growl/half yell filled the air and Thor straightened where he stood. "Banner?" He looked like he was about to dance for joy as the mammoth Hulk stormed into the area, knocking aside, or squishing, anyone in his way.

"Hey," Tony said as he opened his helmet so he could wipe at the sweat inside. "About time you got here. Looks like you missed out on all the fun."

Hulk seemed to flex his muscles as he stood there, chest heaving. "Hulk smash!"

Wasabi put a hand up as if to ward off a blow, trying not to squeal like a little girl. He was the closest to the Hulk and wasn't sure what the green giant might do. The guy had a reputation for doing whatever he wanted, regardless of the consequences.

Natasha approached the mutated man with gentle respect. "I think we've got it covered," she admitted, giving a look around to indicate the carnage around them.

"Oh no," Baymax expressed as he moved forward, heading to the heavy door of the engineering section. "My sensor is unable to penetrate this door. However, according to the linked data from Dr. Bosch, Hiro's vital signs are deteriorating rapidly."

His announcement seemed to give everyone a bit of a shock. "If that's true, we don't have time to try and find a way around this door," GoGo spoke up. Chances were good that if the Hydra guys hadn't been able to get through it in that amount of time leading up to their confrontation, they wouldn't be able to either.

Natasha and Tony exchanged glances. They could hack at the door for all they were worth, but if they needed to get through it in a hurry there was really only one way to go. The Black Widow turned back to Banner. "Hey, Big Guy, think you could open the door for us?" She edged back out of the way, indicating that the others should do the same.

Kally had just managed to recover her breath from the fall when the ground shuddered. She looked up sharply to see the Hulk attacking the sealed doors like a battering ram. And, from what she could see, it was actually working. The steel began to warp until the two parts almost seemed to cave in before the Hulk simply ripped them from their frame and threw them.

Dr. Bosch tried to move forward at this point, his medic bag still over his shoulder, momentarily forgetting the blue ice on the floor. He slipped and almost went down.

Realizing what was going on, Honey quickly typed in another chemical formula and threw the resulting orb at the area in question. "Sorry about that," she apologized as the ball negated the original effects of the ice. She quickly went over to help Kally up while the doctor regained his composer and moved to the now open maw leading into the room before them.

Baymax quickly scanned the room to make sure it was safe before hurrying forward. "Hiro is ahead," he said as he pointed to the computers and guard rail.

Almost cautiously, the others followed him into the large room, heading to the area in question. Blue light seemed to light up the room as it radiated from the cylinder Hiro leaned against behind an array of computers and railings. Honey helped Kally to a nearby chair so she could sit.

"I am detecting a large amount of energy around Hiro," Baymax announced as Natasha, Tony, and Fred moved close enough to see the teen in question. "I do not believe it wise to remove him from his current position at this time."

Fred fidgeted. "I don't know, buddy," he hedged. "He doesn't look too good. And if what you said earlier is true, we need to get him out of there sooner than later."

Natasha pursed her lips as she looked around. The close proximity of the computers and guardrail would make getting Hiro safely back onto stable ground difficult at best. "I think we should work on moving those computers and taking out the rail," she pointed out. "Getting him out will be hard enough without them in the way."

Thor and Tony found they had to agree, and, with the help of the Hulk, they managed to move the computers out of the way. Hulk threw the ones he came in contact with while Thor and Tony simply tried to shove them out of the way. The guardrail was a bit trickier as they didn't want it to hit into Hiro's legs and make him fall. After some consulting, they decided to cut a section out of the rail so they could move it. Wasabi did the honors while the other men held it so it wouldn't fall. Tony's tools were deemed too risky for the procedure.

Meanwhile, Dr. Bosch made his way into the room. Seeing as it wasn't really possible to reach Hiro just yet, he focused his attention on Kally. With GoGo's help, he found another chair so the half-Valkyrie could rest her leg in a more prone position so he could get a better look. To avoid further embarrassment, he cut up the length of her pants instead of trying to get them off of her altogether.

"That doesn't look good," Honey commented as she stood by in case they needed her help. And it was true. Blood had seeped through the bandage Kally had used earlier to try and cover the wound. And when the doctor removed it, Kally had to bite back a scream due to it sticking to the wound.

Dr. Bosch looked at the weeping puncture, which had widened, trying to picture what had made the hole and couldn't. "How did you manage to do that?" he inquired as he wiped excess blood away with a gauze pad.

Kally tried to explain what had happened as she grit her teeth. When asked if she knew how far in the medical tool had gone in to her flesh, she couldn't tell him. She'd only taken long enough to pull it out and cast it aside before moving on in the vent.

The doctor sighed. "I'd stitch it closed now but I'm not sure how much damage you've done internally," he admitted. "Best I can do, for now, is to wrap it up again and hope it doesn't continue to bleed."

While the doctor did that, the others finished clearing a way to Hiro. They stood back once that was completed. "Okay," Natasha said as she looked at the teen. "Now can we move him?" He really didn't look good.

Baymax moved to a more straight on view, scanning Hiro as he did. "No," he answered. "Hiro is exhibiting brain wave activity consistent with his previous experiences with the Makt. If we force him to severe whatever connection is currently intact, it may damage his brain."

Tony blew out the air from his lungs. "Okay, so what exactly are we supposed to do then? It's obvious he's somehow connected to whatever is powering this place." Then it hit wait. "Wait a minute. JARVIS, do you think Hiro could be the entity controlling the computers?"

"It would seem logical," JARVIS responded. "The thought patterns I received do seem consistent with his vocal style."

Wasabi fidgeted, though he didn't bounce on the balls of his feet like Fred did. "So what do we do now?"

By this time, Dr. Bosch had finished replacing Kally's bandage and had walked over. "If it's anything like when he's suffered a panic attack, someone is going to have to act as his anchor to bring him back," he stated.

GoGo looked over at Baymax. "I think that would be you," she pointed out. "You're the one who's always bringing him back."

The other Big Heroes nodded. Though none of them had witnessed any major panic attacks, it was true that Baymax was the one most likely to calm Hiro down and pull him back to reality.

"Worth a shot," Tony shrugged.

So, while the others stood back to give him some room, Baymax waddled closer to the unconscious teen. It might have been easier to have him take off his armor but no one thought about it. Instead, Baymax stood off to one side, closer to the end where Hiro's head rested while Dr. Bosch and Tony stood by, ready to transport the youth to a more stable location.

"Hello, Hiro," Baymax said in his usual calm manner. "It is time to come home."

* * *

Code flew past Hiro like a category five hurricane. He could feel it trying to pull him deeper and deeper into the system. The only problem was that part of him wanted to let it, to just go with the flow. It didn't hurt as he couldn't feel any pain. And all the distraction of cameras and searching for his friends in them was gone. There was only the code.

Except there wasn't.

Faintly, almost too faint to hear, someone was calling him. Over and over again. It was like a beacon down a really long corridor flashing frantically for his attention. Except when he looked towards it, it was slow and sedate but persistent.

Curious, Hiro let his mind drift towards the metaphorical flashing. The closer he got, the more distinct the voice in his head became, as if the two were somehow related.

_Hiro._

He had no idea who was calling him. It was still too faint to tell. But now that it had his attention, he couldn't just turn away. He had to know who was calling him.

A swirl of code tried to pull him back, like the eddy from a whirlpool and he fought to stay clear. People said information was like a highway. He was beginning to think it was more like a current of water on a whitewater-filled river. If he got too close to anything moving fast, he knew he'd be swept back to where he was and he would have even less strength to find out who was calling him.

_Hiro. It is time to come home._

Images of soft, warm vinyl filled Hiro's mind, with arms wrapped securely around him. He let out a sort of hiccuping sob that got lost in the code. The desire to feel those arms around him once more welled up in him and he fought all the harder to reach the light. But the more he fought the harder and faster the current ran.

_Baymax! Baymax!_

He got caught in a swirl of data and it began throwing him downstream. _No!_ He screamed as he spun in the code. He had to get out of the stream or he'd lose sight of the light.

_Hey, Bonehead. You've got this. Remember what you are now._

The sound of Tadashi's voice seemed to calm him, despite the flow around him. There was something important about what he'd said. What was Hiro now? Since he wasn't attached to his body, he wasn't exactly numbers and code. He was something else. He was…. Energy.

Realization shot through him like a bottle rocket. He'd have raised a triumphant fist if he could but there was nothing to raise. Instead, he concentrated on pulling all the energy towards himself that he could. Just like with the security plate, energy flowed around him like a current, going not quite at odds with the data stream. If he could harness it, he could overcome the code and fling himself back to where Baymax waited for him.

_I'm coming, buddy! I'm coming!_

Almost as if from a catapult, Hiro felt himself propelled forward at alarming speeds. It wasn't quite as fast as when his basic particles had collided in the Heart of the TARDIS, but it was more than a little alarming as he flew towards the portal like a bolt of lightning.

If he didn't slow down, he was going to crash. And if he crashed, that would be bad. His body would convulse and he'd likely fall into the gap between the railing and the cylinder he leaned against. And who knew how far down that went? He had to slow down. But there was way too much energy. He kept going faster and faster, like a ball bearing pulled towards a magnet. Any moment now and it would all be over.

The light got brighter and brighter, until he couldn't see for its intensity. It filled his senses, his body tingling to life in his mind, with all the aches and pains he'd left behind. He could feel them now, even though he knew he wasn't there yet and it hurt. Part of him wanted to turn back but he knew it was too late. More last burst of speed filled him and he hurtled towards the light.


	72. Bound to Happen

No one was prepared for Hiro to suddenly convulse as he took in a big lungful of air before beginning normal respirations. It only happened once, but if it hadn't been for Tony practically standing next to him, he likely would have fallen either backward or to the side, caught on the lip of the small platform he was on, and tumbled down the shaft underneath them.

"Steady," Dr. Bosch cautioned as Tony tried to maneuver around the boy so he could lift him without further incident. He briefly glanced down at the tablet, which had been propped up against a swivel chair. According to the readout, at least Hiro's pulse and blood oxygen levels were going back up.

With the help of the doctor, Tony moved Hiro to a more solid area away from the guardrail and the potential of falling into a deep hole, where he set him down so they could assess his condition. He stepped back to give others room. As he moved back, Baymax moved closer, scanning his number one patient.

"Vital signs are stabilizing," the robot announced. "Brain activity suggests he will soon regain consciousness. However, in light of his current injuries, I suggest sedating him until he can be taken to a more appropriate location for treatment."

At that prompting, Dr. Bosch pulled his medical bag over and began rummaging around in it until he found a particular vial and a syringe. "I have to agree. This should do the trick for now," he stated as he filled the hypodermic and slid the needle into the hub of the IV catheter still in Hiro's arm. Chances were good the boy would be in a world of pain when he woke, though they would hopefully have him well clear of the area before that happened. It was too bad the bag of pain medication was nowhere in evidence, probably destroyed when they'd rearranged the room, or discarded before the teen had even entered it.

Wasabi watched from a distance. "I hate to be the person to bring this up, but how exactly are you planning on getting him out of here? Or the rest of us for that matter? The elevator shaft we came down in doesn't seem functional and I somehow doubt it'll be easy trying to carry him up the stairs without some kind of stretcher. I mean, we do have two injured people here." He glanced pointedly at Kally who was still sitting in the chair from earlier.

"Hiro is in need of immediate medical attention," Baymax reminded. "I do not believe you are able to provide such attention in our current location. It would be wise to formulate the quickest way out possible so he can be transported to the nearest emergency medical center." If it weren't for his armor, he would totally be down by his young charge's side. Instead, he watched as the doctor attached wire leads to the still present electrodes on Hiro's chest and forehead before plugging them into the portable EKG and EEG machines he'd used a week or so earlier.

Tony frowned. "JARVIS, what's the fastest way out of here?" He knew the AI had gathered as much data as possible on the layout of the place during their time there and probably could come up with the best answer.

JARVIS seemed to contemplate for a moment before answering. "The most direct route would be to send someone up through the elevator shaft we used to descend to this level. With enough force, that individual should be able to break through the top and out into the open. All other routes present greater obstacles and require more time than advisable to navigate them."

Frowns formed on the faces of all the Avengers as they contemplated what this might mean. Thor placed one hand on his hammer. "I could try to break through with Mjolnir," he offered.

"No guarantees that will actually work," Tony said, shaking his head. "It's not that I doubt your abilities, but I somehow don't think you can carry Hiro and break through a mountain without doing more damage than we want to deal with. Besides, the rest of us will need to follow behind you. Hiro's not the only one who needs medical attention."

The Hulk decided to step into the discussion, looking more calm than usual. He tapped his chest. "Hulk jump," he declared. "Carry boy."

Natasha tilted her head as she contemplated his offer, staring him in the eyes. Normally, Hulk didn't care for this kind of thing, but she could tell there seemed to be some kind of agreement with Banner inside him. "That might be our best bet," she admitted. "The rest of us can follow behind. Tony, you can bring Kally."

Wasabi looked dumbfounded. "And what about us?" he protested. "Not to mention everyone else left behind." He looked pointedly at the doctor, still not sure who he was. They hadn't exactly made time for introductions, though he assumed this was the inside source who had contacted Sammy.

Baymax straightened from watching Hiro. "As it would be expedient for us to leave the area as quickly as possible, I recommend the rest of our team evacuate by riding on my back or allowing me to carry them. Dr. Bosch can join us."

Iron Man glanced over at Natasha. "That would leave you to ride up with Thor. You okay with that?" He gave her a piercing glance, possibly calculating what her reaction was.

"Sounds good to me," Fred spoke up. "Probably best to have this doctor guy hold onto the wings. If GoGo rides in Hiro's usual place, Honey can ride the left and this dude can ride the left. That'll leave Baymax to carry both Wasabi and myself. Or, if he prefers being held, I can switch places with him and take GoGo's usual spot."

Dr. Bosch checked the readout on his tablet. He'd strapped the portable monitors to Hiro's waist in preparation of moving him, hoping they wouldn't be dislodged by the suggested activity. "Whatever you guys decide, we should probably move soon. I'm not sure how long Hiro will remain unconscious. He seems to be kicking off a lot of energy, which will likely burn through the sedating agent a lot faster than normal."

"Let's do it," Natasha agreed, giving Hulk another look, just to make sure. If he and Banner were truly in agreement, he would be more than able to jump that high, with enough force to smash through the mountain barrier above them. And with Banner's influence, Hiro would be just as safe, if not safer riding with him. That and the hole he'd make exiting the facility should give Baymax more than enough clearance to fly out with everyone Fred had mentioned attached. The only question was if Dr. Bosch would be able to hang on.

GoGo popped a gum bubble moments after she'd taken her helmet off to get some air. "If we're going to do this, we should go. The sooner we get out of here the better." Honey nodded in agreement.

At a nod from Tony, Thor gently lifted Hiro up into his arms. It would be easier to have him carry the youth to the elevator shaft and let Hulk get situated before handing him off. "Which way?" he inquired, then went in the direction the Iron Man indicated.

It only took them a few minutes to reach the shaft in question. It took another moment or two for Hulk to rip the doors off the wall and make a big enough opening for him to comfortably duck inside. Thanks to the elevator car being just one level down, he had something stable to stand on. It didn't even move when he ripped the cables free to make more room. It was also nice that the elevator shaft in question was more than large enough to accommodate even Baymax and his assigned riders, which wouldn't have been possible if they'd gone for the one he'd originally used to come down.

With the Hulk in position, Thor carefully transferred Hiro into the green giant's arms. "Try not to hit anything on the way up," he tried to joke.

Tony stood to one side, tapping his comm. link. "Hill, just thought you should know we've got a special delivery heading up via green express. We'll need a jet for retrieval and a medical team on standby up top." He gave everyone else a nod as confirmation of the message came through. "Roger that. Just make sure we have a clear path while everyone else evacuates."

Hulk cradled Hiro in his arms, looking almost paternal before glancing up the length of the shaft to see what he had to deal with.

Natasha stepped forward, placing one hand on his arm. "Be careful," she admonished gently.

Hulk grunted as she stepped back. His muscles tensed as he crouched down low to get the best possible momentum. He looked out the doorway one last time before he shot up like a green blur, a roar of almost primal rage echoing back down to those who waited below.

* * *

Loki was not prepared to see a blur of green shoot out near the top of the mountain. He almost had a panic attack as he realized just what the blur was. And if it hadn't been for the fact that he'd been pretending to be a Hydra agent, he likely would have given himself away as instinct took over and he hit the deck.

Rock and other debris shot up into the air with the Hulk, showering down on everything within a good fifty foot radius. Then the whole mountain seemed to shake as the green giant came back down to ground, thudding heavily onto the mountainside in a sort of running stride. He didn't seem to want to stop as he bowled through anyone and anything that was in his way. The green giant did seem to hold something in its arms, cradling it like a precious item, keeping it tucked out of sight as the Hulk ran.

Loki thanked his lucky stars he was not in the mammoth's path. All the same, he felt his whole body shake as he tried to regain his composure. The monster wasn't heading his direction. And, upon further glances, he realized the giant was carrying Hiro in his arms. He barely registered surprise when Tony flew out of the same hole, Kally in his arms. There was no mistaking the aura of the Valkyrie.

He was a bit surprised to see a cherry red armor-clad figure following not too far behind Iron Man, carrying around five people, including Dr. Bosch. Something in his stomach lurched, remembering the sense of betrayal. How could these people trust the man? Before he knew what he was doing, he began heading in the same direction they had all aimed for, completely missing Thor shooting out of the hole, with the Black Widow clinging tightly to his side.

A quinjet touched down not too far from where the Hulk now stood, on a shelf of rock large enough to accommodate the ship. Loki checked his pace as he saw the Hulk duck into the back of the jet, followed immediately by Tony and the others. He'd transformed to a SHIELD agent as he'd run closer and now found himself in a company of similar looking individuals who were now heading to other jets touching down. Before he knew it, he was hustled into one of the jets, still trying to catch sight of the ship the Avengers had entered.

* * *

Phil straightened from comforting Cass Hamada as he placed one hand to his ear. "I think we have some good news," he announced when the woman looked at him in a questioning manner. "Give me one moment.

The man stood and walked a few paces away as he nodded at whatever was said on the other end of the comm. link. "Understood," he replied to the information. "Start the evacuation and be ready to deploy final stages."

Cass watched him with growing consternation and anxiety as she stood. "Did they find him? Please tell me they found him." She had no other ideas behind why they might recall the troops.

Phil turned back to her with a smile. "Operation Extraction is a success," he reported. "They're bringing your nephew up now. I can escort you if you'd like to be there when the jet arrives."

Something thumped almost painfully in Cass's chest at the announcement. They'd found her baby boy. She had no idea what kind of condition he'd be in, having been in the clutches of whoever these people were for a week or so, but they'd found him. She nodded mutely, not able to speak, more tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"This way," Coulson indicated as he took her gently by the arm. He then escorted her out of the mess room and down a series of long corridors and open bays. "I do want to warn you that they found him under less than ideal circumstances."

Cass was too numb to really acknowledge his words. All that mattered was that she had her baby back. Everything would work out so long as he was alive. It was more than Tadashi had had.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, but was really only a few minutes, Coulson led her into a large bay. A medical team stood off to one side as a jet powered down in front of them. And then the back cargo area of the ship opened down into a ramp and several people in brightly colored armor exited the vehicle.

Cass stared at the familiar shapes of the Big Heroes, her mind trying to understand what was going on. Why were they here? And then the kaiju costumed figure flipped back its hood and she almost passed out. What on earth was Fred doing in that outfit? The unmistakable sound of a gum bubble being popped followed shortly after a dark head of hair with a familiar purple stripe became visible underneath a bright yellow helmet. She was so intent on these two figures she didn't even realize the medical team had moved to take their place inside the quinjet.

And then she caught sight of the big red guy in armor, her brain immediately understanding who this giant was. "Baymax?" Her eyes widened as the robot turned her way, his face showing in the visor of the red helmet. And right beside him stood a tall, lanky girl in pink with yellow hair, along with a burly dark-skinned man with dreadlocks. Her legs almost went out from under her.

The robot noticed the aunt out of the corner of his hyper spectral cameras. "Oh no," he uttered softly, realizing what must have just happened.

Phil managed to help keep Cass upright as he realized what was going on. Despite hints and unspoken nudges, Hiro's aunt had not known about the alter egos of this unusual group. The question was did she realize Hiro was also a part of them.

Cass mentally counted the number of heroes in her head as the medics wheeled two gurneys down the ramp. She could only see five brightly clad individuals. And then her eyes settled on Hiro and her brain seemed to explode. He had the same gangly look, the same proportions. But her mind refused to think any further along that line as she realized her nephew was unconscious, covered in wire leads and tubing, with braces on practically every part of his body.

With a sob, Cass launched herself towards the portable bed. Behind her, Tony, Natasha, Thor, and a half naked Bruce Banner stepped down from the ramp, along with another doctor in a white lab coat. "He's going to be all right," the doctor said, seeing the distraught woman, correctly guessing she was related to Hiro. "But we need to get him stabilized."

The other group of medics had already wheeled Kally out of the area, heading towards the medical bay. Cass barely registered this fact as she grabbed onto the side of the gurney. "I'm going with you," she stated, pulling on her reserve of inner strength.

At a nod from Phil, the medics began wheeling Hiro and the small group of medical professionals moved towards the medical area, only a minute or so behind Kally and her group. They disappeared behind the electronic sliding doors, leaving the Big Heroes and Avengers behind.

"I would appreciate it if someone would help me remove my armor," Baymax stated. "I would like to be with Hiro while he is being treated."

Reminded of the robot's typical duties, Honey went to remove the various pieces of red plating, along with the helmet and gauntlets. Once the robot was free of his armor, he shuffled after the other medical teams. Honey let out a sigh as she looked at her remaining teammates. "Well, I guess it's safe to say she knows."

Fred, GoGo, and Wasabi stared almost moodily at the floor or at each other, pointedly ignoring the Avengers still in the area. "It was bound to happen," the mascot said in a dull voice. "We all knew that."

"Aunt Cass is going to really let us have it," GoGo predicted. It was fortunate that she had something else to keep her mind on at the moment or things would have really gotten ugly in there.

Tony watched them with an almost stern expression on his face before nodding to his teammates. "Let's go," he said, nodding to those still in the room. "Maybe we can still see the fireworks before the place goes to high heaven."

Reminded of the rest of the plan, the other Heroes fell into step behind the Avengers, following them to a small observation room not too far away. Down below, they could see a flurry of activity as last minute extractions were completed, quinjets and other vehicles quickly vacating the area.

"Any time now," Thor stated as he watched with rapt attention.

Bruce wrapped his arms around his chest, as if he missed the pressure of clothes. He'd reverted back from the Hulk mid-flight, thanks to Natasha's softly spoken words. But they'd arrived at the helicarrier before he could see if there was a spare set of clothes he could change into. "I sure hope I placed all the bombs where they needed to go," he said under his breath, remembering the one bomb he'd still held when the elevator had gone down. He had no recollection of what had happened to that bomb after turning into the Hulk and could only hope it had fallen to a place where it would do at least some good.

A few moments later, a sort of low rumbling sound came up from below them, followed by bright flashes of light and flying debris. It looked like the whole place was shaking itself apart, with great fissures opening up, only to be filled with the mountain toppling down upon itself like some kind of atomic bomb had gone off inside. Except it looked more like a natural disaster of some kind as the metal that had made up the underground facility super heated and exploded out like lava through the cracks and crevices. One thing was certain. That place would never hold another base again.

Once the fireworks had died down, Tony turned away from the window. "I'm sure someone will want to debrief everyone," he stated to no one in particular. "In the meantime, you might want to change. I'm sure Phil can tell you where to go." With that, he strode out of the room, followed by Natasha, Thor, and Banner.

Phil turned to the Big Heroes. He'd quietly followed them into the smaller room. "If you would follow me," he instructed, holding out a hand to indicate they should do as he said. "We had your things brought up after you packed up this morning."

Honey, Fred, Wasabi, and GoGo exchanged glanced with each other before following the SHIELD agent out of the room.


	73. Debriefing

After following Hiro and the others into the medical bay, Cass had been ushered off to one side where someone had set up a sort of waiting room for her. She wished they'd let her continue to follow Hiro around but was told that wasn't possible as they sent him for a CT-scan and MRI. She barely registered Baymax as he entered the area, who was then admitted into the back where Hiro had disappeared.

When she looked off to one side, she could see a smaller medical suit where a team of doctors and nurses seemed to be working on someone. From what she saw, she gathered they were performing some kind of surgery. The whole scene reminded her of a medical drama and part of her wondered if they'd have to do the same with her nephew.

More time passed and she began to pace. They were certainly taking their sweet time back there. Just how long did they need to make sure was all well? Okay, maybe that was a dumb question but she couldn't help but feel antsy. Finally, she settled down into the comfy chair they'd provided and dozed off.

"Miss Hamada?" some called out gently, causing Cass to startle from sleep. "I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Dr. Bosch. I've been looking after your nephew while he was... away." He resisted the urge to look down, seeing the grief and pain in this woman's eyes. Strictly speaking, he was only allowed to speak to her as a favor, since he'd been with her nephew for some long.

Cass nodded, swallowing back tears. There was just something about the facial expressions of this man that made her anxious for her nephew. "How is he?" A million questions swarmed in her head, wondering who this man was, why he was there now, if he was the one who'd told them where to find her nephew. She stood and took a few steps forward to be closer as he seemed a bit hesitant to approach her, possibly not sure of her reactions.

Dr. Bosch glanced quickly over at the small security detail assigned to keep an eye on him. But since he was the most familiar with Hiro's condition, and hadn't shown any signs of further betrayal, they'd allowed him to continue Hiro's care. For now. "Hiro suffered a lot of different kinds of trauma while he was imprisoned." Might as well call it was it was, he decided. "And while he'd improved over the last week, he's still malnourished and in a lot of pain. You see, a week ago, at least for him, he managed to severely injure himself during a panic attack where he broke both legs and his arm. He also sustained massive bruising to both legs and his torso. At the time, I had to correct some issues internally due to torn muscles and some internal bleeding. Some of those internal injuries were aggravated when he was removed from the facility and we had to go in and correct the damage."

Cass let out a gasp, reeling while someone moved the chair so she could sit down to hear the rest. Part of her wanted to hyperventilate but she schooled herself credibly.

"The good news," Dr. Bosch continued, "is that, despite all this, he's healing relatively well. I don't think it will be necessary to insert any pins or rods to correct the fractures to his legs, though he likely won't be able to walk for several weeks and will need to undergo extensive physical therapy once he's healed enough for that. And he'll need to go on a special diet to try and rebuild the muscle tissue he lost due to acute starvation."

Now she really did need the chair they'd brought over and sat down heavily on it. "They starved him?" Her eyes went wider than before as her stomach threatened to twist inside her.

Dr. Bosch sighed. "Not exactly. He was offered what would essentially be considered a nutritionally balanced substance but he refused to eat it. I can't say as I blame him though. That on top of his mental distress, he slipped into a sort of panicked survival mode that left him overexerted and undernourished. But, for now, he's resting quietly. I understand they plan on transferring him to a hospital in New York once we're sure he's completely stable. And once his friend is out of surgery." He nodded towards the small suite she'd noticed earlier. "For now, they have him heavily sedated to try and give his body a chance to rest."

It took Cass a moment to remember that Hiro hadn't been the only one to be kidnapped. It took her a bit longer to recall that she'd heard that time moved differently where they'd been kept. "What happened to her?" She tried to recall the name of the other student but couldn't.

The doctor thrust his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. "She sustained some muscle damage due to a severe puncture wound, though it's nothing too serious. They should be finishing up before too long. They'll give her a bit to recover from the surgery before either of them are moved. In the meantime, you can sit with Hiro for a while, if you like."

Cass stood a bit shakily so she could follow the doctor over to where they'd taken her nephew. He lay on a gurney instead of a traditional hospital bed, which she supposed made sense. The doctor had said they'd be moving him once things were stable. And a traditional bed certainly would be harder to put into a jet, especially if they had to deal with more than one. She brushed hair from Hiro's face, noting the presence of a feeding tube, along with all the leads and the IV line. He looked so small and helpless there, much as he had back after his parents had died in that car accident. He'd been in the hospital at the time, looking almost as bad as he did now, just smaller.

Several nurses were in attendance, all of whom the doctor acknowledged with a nod. "I do feel the need to warn you about something," he said, returning his attention to Cass. "Hiro has been through a lot of trauma over, what for him, was the past month. He's going to need some time to come to terms with it. As things stand, he's going to be more than a little fragile for a while, both physically and emotionally. I just thought you should know what you'll be facing in the coming months."

Baymax moved the chair for her so she could sit down, having remained in the background until that moment. She didn't even give him a second glance as she focused all her attention on her nephew, wondering when he would wake up. She wasn't sure if the robot had been there all along or not. She didn't even care that they'd told her Hiro was all drugged up. She just wanted to look into his oh so brown eyes and let him know she was there. That and it was easier to ignore the doctor that way.

While she focused in on her nephew, Baymax quietly waddled away from the two of them. Hiro was currently stable, with little chance of complication. At least for the moment. He needed to return to the others and let them know their friend was going to be okay.

While he moved off, Dr. Bosch let out a silent sigh as the security detail assigned him indicated he should follow them. He may have been allowed to perform initial care for the boy, but they'd made it perfectly clear someone higher up wanted to debrief him before he was shipped off to a secure location for a while. He wouldn't be there when the teen woke up, but at least he could rest easier knowing he was well looked after.

* * *

After everyone had changed, and showered, the Big Heroes met in a communal area just off of their temporary rooms. They all knew they wouldn't be staying there long and had repacked any bags brought for them. It was just nice to get out of the uniform, in a manner of speaking.

Coulson had stayed around, waiting for them to dress down so he could question them about their involvement with the rescue mission. He had it all recorded, down to the last detail. Having done one or two debriefings before, it went relatively smoothly, even if it did take a while.

But now they waited for word about Hiro. Last they'd heard he'd gone into surgery to correct some unintentional damage inflicted when the Hulk had basically shot up through the mountain like a rocket. In the teen's already fragile state, it made sense. They were now on standby for a return trip to Stark Tower.

"I gotta admit," Fred spoke up as they all just kind of sat there in a sort of daze, "I can't help but wonder when Aunt Cass is going to come confront us about being you know who." He swung his legs from the table where he sat. There weren't quite enough chairs in the room, even though Baymax didn't take one. They'd gotten most of their news about Hiro from him once he'd shown up at the end of their interview with Coulson.

GoGo stared moodily at the floor as she chewed almost single-mindedly on her gum. She didn't say anything, though she felt certain the same thoughts were going through everyone's minds. How would Cass react? What would she say? Would she chew them out? Probably. Just how mad would she be?

"We'll find out sooner or later," Honey said, trying to be cheerful. The truth of the matter was the post-battle blues had hit. They all just felt glad to be alive, that they'd managed to retrieve both Hiro and Kally. But there was still a toll that had taken place and it would take a while for everyone to move on. It didn't help that there was that edge of anxiety, not knowing how the café owner would react. If things didn't go well, their hero days might be over. It didn't seem right going on if Hiro wasn't allowed to, for whatever reason.

Wasabi twiddled his thumbs. "Is it sad that part of me hopes she's more worried about Hiro and will still let us all off the hook?" He looked up as he finished speaking, almost looking painfully hopeful.

But GoGo shook her head. "You know Aunt Cass," she sighed. "We'll definitely hear about it, probably once she'd had a chance to try and wrap her head around it. In the meantime, it might be best to just steer clear."

Baymax watched each member of the team, scanning and evaluating their emotional condition. While it was not unexpected, it was still a bit concerning. "It would be wise to allow everyone time to come to terms with his or her emotions. However, if any of you would like to talk about your experiences, I am more than willing to listen." Debriefings, while good at getting initial events into some sort of focus, didn't always have the therapeutic results counseling did.

"As am I," Sammy spoke up from inside Baymax's belly, reminding them all of her presence. She'd remained silent during the whole debriefing, partly in the sense of self-preservation. The last time she'd been brought to the Avenger's attention, they'd talked about essentially locking her up in some device.

Wasabi shook a bit like a wet dog before standing and starting to pace the room. "What we really need to do is find you a different body," he said as he paused to look at the robot. "Having two AI's in one vessel is kind of unnerving."

"I am more than happy to inhabit another space once an appropriate one becomes available," Sammy replied. "Perhaps Mr. Stark can provide something appropriate. I somehow doubt Kally will be able to for a while."

Honey Lemon shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to ask," she admitted. She couldn't help but recall Agent Coulson's offer of having Sammy transferred for a more secure device, though she doubted that was exactly what the AI wanted. Chances were good she'd want to stay with her creator.

Before anyone could get too far on that line of thought, however, Baymax straightened. "I have just received word that Kally has woken up after her surgery," he announced. "I believe this means they will soon transfer her and Hiro back to Stark Tower. It would be wise to prepare to do the same."

Fred slid off the table and reached for his gear. It was perhaps more bulky than the others, mostly because his kaiju outfit didn't break down like the others' gear did. But he was more than capable of handling it. "Let's go then," he urged. "I don't want to miss our flight back." He gave a wry sort of grin, trying to bring a smile to everyone else's faces as they grabbed their stuff as well. At least the ride back would be shorter than the one coming out.

* * *

Dr. Bosch wished he'd been allowed to continue caring for young Hiro Hamada but he understood why it wasn't allowed. He was still technically a member of Hydra and knew the agents of SHIELD would, more like as not, want all the information he could give on them, including why they'd kidnapped the two students in the first place.

He gave one last look back at Cass Hamada and her nephew as his security detail led him out of the room. With all the things he'd done, or been forced to do, in the past, he wouldn't be surprised if he was incarcerated for the rest of his life, asylum or not, but it would all be worth it if those two teens could recover and move on with life. He had no doubt they were both destined for great things.

The guards stopped short of a closed door. They hadn't cuffed him, which was promising. But one of them did have to key open the door in question before ushering the man inside.

Inside the room were two chairs facing each other. The guard who had led the doctor inside indicated he should sit down in one of them. The others in the detail remained outside, the door closing.

"I do hope you have a good reason for betraying our trust," the guard said, causing Dr. Bosch to look up sharply. He let out a strangled sound of surprise as the guard transformed before his eyes into the all too familiar form of Loki. "Because if you don't, I just might have to kill you."

The tone Loki used sent goose bumps up and down the doctor's back but he schooled himself. "I take it you overheard my conversation with Ms. Kendrick," he stated, sounding more calm than he felt. "If so, I'm sorry for that, but I had to do something. If I hadn't, things would have been much worse, though I can't say I'm surprised you were there to hear it."

Loki got up close and personal, his face practically right in the doctor's as he grabbed the collar of his shirt. "I do hope you're not lying to save your own skin, because I really don't like people lying to me.

A sigh escaped Dr. Bosch's lips. "I assume you looked into my relationship with Ms. Kendrick. If so, I'm not surprised you may find my confession to your liking. Yes we are legally married, though it hasn't been the same since we lost our children. What the medical records don't tell you is how my wife went crazy. Perhaps she was already crazy and this just pushed her over the brink. But she became different, more ruthless, more cold and calculating."

The doctor then went on to explain how one of the medics had overheard their plans and told them to Ms. Kendrick. When she'd confronted her husband about it, he'd had to fabricate a story she would swallow. There had to be just enough truth in it to make it ring with sincerity, which explained why he'd given away their plans.

"I had hoped to run into you before things got too crazy," the doctor confessed. "If I hadn't, I was prepared to go against my wife in every way possible. But it turns out you did overhear and took it for the way I meant her to believe. I suppose I can't blame you, though it did give me a certain kind of immunity as she knew I couldn't have tipped those teens off. It's a good thing the medic who blabbed didn't know about you or we really would have been in trouble."

Loki gave the doctor a shake, his eyes searching the man's face for any deceit. He didn't find any and slowly released his grip on the doctor's clothes. "Lucky for you, I believe you," he stated as he took a step back. "It's probably just as well they'll be sending you off to some dark hole for you previous sins. I'm sure you've committed many."

Dr. Bosch hung his head. "Yes, I have committed many atrocities throughout my life," he admitted. "But it will be nice to get them off my chest. And who knows, maybe they'll find me useful."

The god of mischief gave him a scrutinizing look. "I will thank you for helping Kally and Hiro in the end. For that, you deserve some thanks. And if it were in my power, I might even request they not be too hard on you. Unfortunately, it's not in my hands."

A sound came from the other side of the door and both Loki and the doctor looked over, not sure what to expect. But Loki looked away first. "Do try to behave, won't you?" he asked as he strode over to the door as it slid open. His guise as a SHIELD guard quickly morphed back into place and he nodded at the agent who entered the room. He did not look back.

* * *

The quinjet might have been a little crowded if they'd taken just the one, which made it nice that they'd decided to take two like last time. There was no way both gurneys could have fit in one, along with all the Big Heroes, Aunt Cass, and the Avengers, plus Phil and a few medical personnel. As things stood, those passengers not immediately needed to either fly the crafts or keep an eye on the teen in their respective beds had to sit strapped in against the walls of the crafts.

Aunt Cass didn't say anything as she glared at Wasabi, Fred, GoGo, and Honey, who sat opposite her. Natasha piloted their jet, along with Dr. Banner. Two medics accompanied them; with Baymax acting as an assistant should anything go wrong with Hiro. Her silence made the flight more than a little awkward for the students in question, as well as the others in the cabin area. Hiro, thankfully, was oblivious to it all, still heavily sedated.

In the other craft, Kally was, more or less awake, with two medics assigned to keep tabs on her while the other Avengers took up passenger space, minus Tony and Phil, who piloted the craft. Theirs was the decidedly less cramped vessel of the two. As such, their flight back was much more pleasant, though Kally did wish they'd let her join the others on a bench seat instead continuing to make her lie down on the gurney like some dead thing.

By the time they'd all arrived back at Stark Tower, Hiro's jet arriving first, everyone was ready to find some alone time. Except for Baymax. He followed the medics as they transported both Hiro and Kally to the medical suite several floors down. It was the same suite they'd used when Kally had her fateful allergy attack. Thankfully, it had undergone repairs since then.

Under the direction of Tony and Phil, Baymax scanned all medical personnel cleared to care for his friends. After learning he could store data on anyone he scanned, they thought it a good way to make sure no further incidents occurred that might threaten their guests. It helped that Baymax insisted he stay with Hiro anyway. With that in mind, they moved his charging station into the same room as his number one patient.

After admonishing Kally to rest, Phil and Tony headed back up to the penthouse level where they'd left the others. Since no more than twenty-four hours had passed since they'd left, everyone retained their assigned rooms. Tony was only mildly surprised to find that Hiro's aunt was the only one still in the immediate area. Apparently the others had gone to their respective rooms to decompress.

Cass was pacing the open area, potentially chewing on the inside of her cheek. Whatever the case might be, she looked in no state for visiting. But when Tony accidentally knocked into a side table while trying to just pass through, she whirled to stare at him with narrowed eyes.

"Did you know about this?" she asked, her arms spread wide, as if that would let the Avenger know what was on her mind. "Did you even have the slightest inkling that those... children were doing this?"

Tony wasn't about to correct her about her chosen term. The only one who could still be considered a child was Hiro. The fact that he'd thought of them all as children, among others, didn't matter. Apparently Cass Hamada saw them as more than just Hiro's classmates. "Until a few days ago? No," he replied instead, moving cautiously closer.

Cass flailed a bit before sitting down on a stool, only to get back up and pace some more. "You'd think I'd have noticed something! After all, I practically raised him! But no! I didn't even seem to have a clue! And there he was, risking his life at every moment!"

Confusion scrolled across Tony's face. "Wait, See, I'm a little confused. Are we talking just about Hiro or all of his friends too? You started out including all of them but now you seem focused on your nephew."

"Shut up!" Aunt Cass shouted, angry tears threatening to spill out from her eyes. She'd had more than enough time to stew over this, all the lies, the evasions. "I should have known! They all could have gotten themselves killed!"

Tony put out a placating hand. "I'm not sure if you're beating yourself up for not noticing or if you're mad at them for not telling you," he admitted as he tried to intercept her pacing.

Cass thrust her hands towards the ground, fingers curled into a fist as her muscles tightened. "Both! How dare they?! How dare they not tell me?! I treated them like family! How dare they put my nephew in danger all this time and not even tell me! And how could you let them?!" She stared pointedly at him, hands now squarely on her hips.

The placating hands turned into a defensive stance as Tony's palms faced out as if to ward off a blow. "Now wait just a minute," he protested. "I already told you didn't know about any of this until a few days ago. All I knew was that Hiro was some kind of robotics genius, not unlike myself, and that his friends were also up there in their respective fields. I had no idea they were playing at super heroes."

"That's no excuse!" Cass cried as she lifted her fists as if to to pound on Tony's chest. But instead of punching the life out of him, she flung herself at his chest, sobbing. "I have never been so scared in my whole life! Not even when Hiro's parents died in that car accident!"

Feeling more than a little awkward, Tony placed one arm comfortingly around her shoulders. He turned his head to the side, hoping she couldn't see the expression on his face as he looked anywhere but at her. He didn't know what to do with a weeping woman. Sure Pepper cried every now and again, but not like this, and he was like a deer in headlights.

Tony breathed an almost silent sigh of relief as Natasha sauntered into the room on silent feet. He gave her a pleading look as he gestured for her to come over with his free arm. His shirt was decidedly getting wet as the woman continued to sob almost uncontrollably into his shoulder. The only thing that could make it more awkward was if Pepper herself had walked in on the scene.

Natasha gave him a sort of acknowledging nod but didn't come to his rescue. Instead, she went around the bar and pulled out a box of tea bags, completely ignoring his exasperated nonverbal appeals. She calmly continued to brew tea, heating water before pouring it into a sizeable mug and dropping a tea bag into it. Once she was sure the brew held the right intensity, she came back around with the mug. "Cass," she said gently and held out the cup when the woman looked up.

Cass blinked a few times before she realized what was being offered. She slowly disengaged herself from Tony's chest and almost hesitantly took the mug in question. Her expression went from emotionally distraught to almost repentant as she took a seat on one of the couches, one leg tucked under the other.

"Thanks," Tony mouthed and only got a knowing look in return. Figuring this was out of his league, he headed for his own room to change.

Now that Tony was out of the way, Natasha settled down near the distraught woman. "I know it can be a lot to take in," she said quietly. "I grew up in this kind of reality so I can only guess at what you're going through. It's not for the faint of heart."

Cass blew at the lip of her cup, watching the steam momentarily disappear. It gave her something to do besides lose it. Regardless of what did and did not happen, she still planned on giving Hiro's friends a real talking to about all of this. How dare they? Keeping this from her all this time?

"We're still trying to figure everything out," Natasha added when her guest didn't look like talking. "I suppose it makes a certain kind of sense though, all things considered."

That got Cass's attention and she couldn't help but look over. "What do you mean?"

Natasha smiled. "When things first started happening, I wondered if they were just reacting to their fears. But, now that I think about it, they were a lot better prepared for recent events than I'd have given them credit for." And, after some more prodding on Cass's part, the Black Widow began to tell her about everything that had happened since the first kidnapping attempt.


	74. All Those Times

Morning came almost sluggishly as the Big Heroes reluctantly made their way up to the penthouse level. They'd stayed up late to discuss the possible ramifications of their actions, especially now that Aunt Cass knew about them. They'd been unable to come to any definitive conclusion of potential consequences and had decided it best to let the woman cool down a bit before giving her the opportunity to confront them. Whether that was effective or not was yet to be seen.

Tony had, once again, provided a nice spread of food in the kitchen area. And, as luck would have it, they were the first ones in there, at least as far as they could see. However, upon further speculation, JARVIS informed them that Tony had already eaten, along with Banner, Phil, and Thor. Natasha was out and about somewhere outside the building, presumably making sure the area was secure. Aunt Cass was down in the medical suite with Hiro and Baymax.

Wasabi breathed a sigh of relief as he poured himself some coffee. It might only be a short reprieve, but it would give him time to fortify himself with some caffeine before the inevitable happened.

"I was kind of hoping we'd be able to get this over with," Honey admitted as she picked at her muffin. Despite feeling hungry, she didn't really have an appetite.

GoGo seemed to concur as she nodded in her usual manner, sipping at her own cup of dark brew. That was probably all the answer they were going to get from her too. At least until she'd woken up a bit more. Fred seemed to drag just as much as the adrenaline junky. Maybe it was just the letdown from the day before.

Thor walked into the room at the end of Honey's comments. He paused, not sure if he was intruding on anything, then correctly guessed what was going on. "If you are concerned about any repercussions your actions may have caused, it would be better to face them than to run from them," he pointed out as he found something to munch on. Though he'd already eaten, it had been over an hour ago and he was more than ready to fill in the corners, as it were.

"He's right," Wasabi sighed as he finished his coffee. "As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. The sooner we get this over with the better." He stood from his station near the table, coffee mug in hand. He wistfully glanced at the half full pot and decided to top it off.

Fred wormed his way to his feet, nodding in agreement. He snagged a muffin as he took Wasabi's lead. "Might as well," he reasoned. "Maybe she won't chew us out as bad if we're in front of Hiro."

Honey nodded. Chances were good Aunt Cass would be less inclined to yell if they were in front of her nephew, who would likely still be out of it for several more days at least. "Sounds good to me." She left her now crumbled muffin at the table, taking a mug of coffee instead.

GoGo finished her mug of brew and set it down before joining them. With all in agreement, they left Thor to his own devices and headed towards the elevator, hoping no one would mind them taking food out of the kitchen.

* * *

Cass sat near the head of Hiro's bed. She knew they were going to keep him sedated for a while yet, just to give him a chance to recover. But even with that, she couldn't help but want to be near him. She'd thought she'd lost him and it had torn her apart inside, perhaps even more so than Tadashi's death had. It was a miracle to have Hiro back with her, even if he was injured.

After talking with Natasha the night before, she did feel a bit better about things, though she was still a bit miffed. And she was definitely not letting Hiro's team off that easily. They'd kept this whole Big Hero thing a secret from her for two odd years and she was not going to let them forget it, nor the compounded worry she now felt due to that secret. She wasn't yet sure how she'd confront Hiro about it. That depended entirely on what happened with his friends, all of whom she saw as sort of her responsibility, even if they were technically adults. They should have known better!

For the moment, all seemed quiet. Both Hiro and Kally were asleep. And Baymax had assured her nothing had happened in her absence. He'd reminded her that sleep was essential to a full recovery. And, with a full medical staff on hand, he was able to reassure her that Hiro was under the best care. The robot had made sure to look up everyone's credentials, with the help of JARVIS and Sammy, who still resided inside his body.

Cass couldn't help but be a bit curious about Kally. She'd asked Baymax about her and got a lot more information than she'd bargained for. It was very possible, as far as she could gather, that Hiro might have developed feelings for her. And while she didn't mind, it would make things easier if she had the opportunity to get to know the girl first. After all, someone had to look out for Hiro's best interests. And while she trusted Baymax's information, she wanted to hear it from Hiro's mouth before deciding what to do about it.

With such thoughts running through her head, she was not prepared to have Hiro's friends enter the room. Part of her, admittedly, had hoped to choose the time and place, though she couldn't help but realize it would be better to get it over with sooner than later. Instead of greeting them with a smile, like she normally would, she merely gave them a tired purse of the lips as they all crowded into the room.

"Hey Aunt Cass," Fred greeting, almost sounding like Hiro did when he knew he'd done something wrong. It was a bit gratifying, and annoying at the same time, that they still called her that. She'd never asked them to and supposed it was just out of habit. She'd never really liked being called Miss Hamada due to people usually bringing her bad news when they used the term.

Cass didn't move from her chair next to Hiro's bed. Instead, she leveled her stare at each of the Heroes in turn. She still didn't know what to say to them.

Seeing as Hiro's aunt wasn't inclined to talk, Fred decided to take it upon himself to break the silence. "Um... I know we should have told you about all this hero stuff before," he started, head downcast, shoe rubbing against the tiled floor. "I wouldn't be surprised if you decided to hate us or ban us from seeing Hiro either. But I did want to let you know we've done a lot of good since we first formed and thought that might count for something."

Miss Hamada had never seen Fred look or sound this way before and she had to blink to clear her thoughts before letting out a heavy sigh. "I wish at least one of you had told me," she admitted. "I still can't believe you dragged my nephew into all of this. Did you even stop to think about the potential consequences? You could have gotten him killed! Any of you could have gotten killed!"

The sharp tone was not unexpected, but everyone couldn't help but wince at it, like they'd been slapped. They exchanged almost guilty looking expressions, neither wanting to meet Cass's eyes, all except GoGo, who remained pretty calm, all things considered. She popped a gum bubble, arms folded across her chest.

"I just want to set the record straight," GoGo began. " _We_ didn't drag your nephew to do anything. He's the one who dragged us into it. And most of us were not really into it from the get go, not until we realized just how much good we could do."

Honey nodded, her expression settling to determination. "That's right. Hiro may have started things out with the intent of getting revenge on Tadashi's killer, but we've all grown so much as a result."

"Yeah," Wasabi agreed. "Maybe we did go along at first to keep him out of trouble. You know how stubborn he can be. And it gave him something else to focus on besides his grief. It gave him something to _do_."

Wasabi's speech surprised Cass more than the others and she couldn't help but look up at him once he'd finished. It was true. Hiro had seemed so lifeless after they'd lost Tadashi. She'd had the café to keep her going, but Hiro hadn't seemed to have much of anything. He'd taken little interest in anything she suggested, including hanging out with friends he'd barely known at the time. And forget going to the school he'd worked so hard to get into, mainly because he'd tried so hard due to Tadashi being there. In a way, she knew her nephew had needed something to get a jump started back into living, though she wished he'd found another way to do it.

Honey moved forward to place a comforting hand on Cass's shoulder. "I know we should have told you sooner, but Hiro didn't want you to get hurt. And, after we'd managed to take down Professor Callaghan, we sort of just went with it."

Cass shook her head. "If I'd know," she said quietly. "All those times I saw you on the news, all the dangerous things you've done... "

"Yes we've done some dangerous things," GoGo broke in, "but think about how many lives we saved because of that. And how much safer San Fransokyo is because of them."

But the café owner shook her head. "At what cost? Hiro's still just a teenager! He shouldn't have to worry about these kinds of things!

Fred moved a little closer to the foot of Hiro's bed so he could lean over the portable table someone had placed at its foot. "No offense, Aunt Cass, but I think becoming a superhero is what saved Hiro, if you know what I mean. Does it make some things hard? Sure. But what superhero has things easy? It's a price we're all willing to pay."

Cass was not used to seeing this more serious side of Fred and wasn't sure what to think about it. That they all cared for her nephew was a no brainer. That they all worked well together was undeniable. It was Fred's last sentence, though, that bothered her. "But what if it's not a price _I'm_ willing to pay? I'm Hiro's guardian and should have been consulted in this!"

"Would you have let him if we did?" Wasabi asked. As much as he'd resisted the creation of the team, and keeping it going once their initial mission was over, he couldn't imagine his life without it.

Hiro's aunt looked flustered at the question and she stood to pace. "That's not the point!" she emphasized with a few frustrated gestures. "I shouldn't have had to worry about it! Did your keeping me in the dark prevent me from knowing? Yes! But I would have found out eventually! And what were you going to do if Hiro _died_ while on one of these missions?"

Honey exchanged a somewhat guilty look with her teammates. "Actually..." she began but Baymax waddled between her and the aunt before she could continue.

"It is true Hiro has experienced many difficulties since the team was formed," the robot admitted. "There have been many incidents that include bodily harm. However, Hiro has never backed down from a challenge, even when it includes facing down his fears. In my opinion as his healthcare companion, these activities have helped increase Hiro's neurotransmitter levels and have had an overall positive effect on his well-being."

Cass spun around and returned to her chair, looking worn out. "I heard Natasha and Tony mention PTSD," she admitted in a calmer tone. "Is that a result of your hero work? And if so, why don't you all exhibit the same thing? There's something you aren't telling me, isn't there." It was not a question. Call it aunt's intuition, but she knew there was a lot more to it than what they were telling her. Maybe it was the guilty looks they'd given each other. Maybe it was a sixth sense, but she knew there was more to it, no matter what Baymax said.

"Maybe we should just tell her," Honey whispered to GoGo, who was closest to her.

GoGo gave a sort of affirmative grunt, her arms still folded across her chest. "Maybe. But the others wanted to know too," she reminded. "And I doubt we can all fit in here. And I really don't want to go over it twice."

Looking a bit confused, Cass tried to follow what the two girls meant. "Who else wanted to know what?" she finally asked.

Fred straightened up. "Tony and the others wanted to know why Hiro has PTSD too," he admitted. "We promised to tell them. It'd be easier to do it all at once as it's a really long story. And even we don't know all of the details; though I'm sure Baymax can shed more light on it than we can."

All eyes turned to the medical robot. He seemed to blush a bit under all the attention. "Yes, I am able to give more information," he admitted. "However, someone will need to stay with Hiro while we discuss this. And while I know more than the others about some of the incidents, I am sure there is more that I do not know as well."

"I can make sure no one disturbs him or Miss Carmichael," JARVIS spoke up from one of the wall speakers. "Would you like me to have Mr. Stark meet you upstairs?"

The Big Heroes exchanged glances with each other. While most of it was Hiro's to tell, his aunt deserved to know what they did. And they had promised. Each nodded in the affirmative.

Cass stood up again, dusting off imaginary dirt from her pants. Butterflies fluttered up in her stomach and her hands shook a bit. "All right then," she said in a relatively calm tone. "Let's go."

JARVIS confirmed their intentions before alerting Tony to their plans. Fred made sure to alert those standing guard outside the medical suite of what was going on so they could keep the area secure. Reassured that all was well, they all headed towards the elevator.

* * *

Loki was glad he'd somehow managed to get in on the whole "approved" list for Stark Tower, under the guise as one of the guards. It allowed him to make sure both Hiro and Kally were getting the help they needed while also spying on his brother without seeming to. He felt a bit better after his little talk with Dr. Bosch, though he was not sad to see him shuttled off to some unknown location.

Though he'd told himself he would only quench his curiosity, Loki lingered. He knew he should return to Asgard before anyone became too suspicious, but he almost couldn't seem to help it. He felt drawn to these two teens, like a moth to the flame. And he knew he wouldn't feel a moment's peace until he had his answers. Just what had happened to these children before all this happened?

With the clearance he'd taken on, it wasn't hard too get access the different parts of the tower. He wasn't entirely sure if he'd been able to get where he was without it, though he supposed he could always just make himself invisible to everything, sending a spectral part of himself to wherever. It was more fun to snub Thor in the nose though. It was a dangerous game, he knew, but so were they all.

There was one thing he would do as a simulacrum though. He'd heard, acting as one of the guards at the medical suite, that everyone was finally going to discuss the past. He'd shot off a spectral version of himself, invisible, to follow the others up to the penthouse level. That way he could keep an eye on both teens while getting to the bottom of the matter at hand.

* * *

It took a bit of doing to gather everyone involved with recent events. Natasha had to be called from one of her rounds. Tony went after Bruce, once he'd been informed of what was going on. Thor wanted to come along for the ride as well. And Phil was more than a little curious about the teen anyway. There was Avenger potential there, for all of them, though part of him wasn't sure they'd take up the offer. It all depended on what was revealed.

"Okay," Fred started once everyone was seated in the open bar area of the penthouse. "There are some things you should know before we really get going. First, some of the things we're about to tell you are technically classified."

Tony gave him a funny look. "What do you mean classified? And don't tell me it's just because you decided it was." He knew Fred's past all too well, wanting to play superhero and getting ideas from his comic books.

But the otaku shook his head. "No, I mean actually classified. We really shouldn't be telling you without the permission of UNIT and Torchwood. Or the Doctor."

Natasha couldn't help but look a bit confused. "Doctor who?"

Honey couldn't help but smile at her confusion. "He's a Time Lord," she explained. "We encountered him on one of our more adventurous outings."

Before she could get into the tale, however, Wasabi put up a hand. "Tell it in order or it won't make sense. I'm sure everyone here," he looked especially at Aunt Cass, "wants to know how it all started. And just in case anyone wondered, the parts Fred hinted at didn't start because of super hero stuff either."

Cass folded her legs underneath her on the couch she'd chosen as her perch. Chances were good her legs would fall asleep before everything was explained, but she was willing to make that sacrifice. "I'd appreciate hearing it from the beginning," she admitted. She thought it interesting that he'd tacked on that little bit at the end though, wondering if he hoped to placate her for what they were about to tell her, or if it was the actual truth.

for Natasha's part, while Honey had given her some of the basic details, she found she wanted to hear more. Chances were good a lot was left out. That and she really hadn't had the opportunity to let the others know what she'd been told. "I'll second that."

Fred cleared his throat, taking it upon himself to begin the tale. He began with the fateful night of the explosion, describing events with perhaps more flair than was necessary. His excitement rose as he told how they'd decided to create the team, but he got more serious as he talked about their first encounter with Yokai and just how unprepared they were for the event.

Baymax took that opportunity to interrupt to explain how he and Hiro had discovered Yokai's involvement in the fire, and how they'd discovered it wasn't an accident. He then described how they'd followed the masked man to the warehouse and discovered him replicating Hiro's microbots, and how no one would believe him despite trying to report it to the police.

Honey took up the narrative, describing how Hiro had reacted to finding out Callaghan was the man behind the mask. It wasn't hard to see that her words shocked many of them, though it wasn't entirely unexpected, given how close Hiro and his brother had been. She didn't excuse his actions but pleaded for them to understand them.

GoGo finished up the tale of their first adventure, at least as far as fighting Callaghan and the microbots were concerned. She kept to the strictest of details, trying to not overwhelm Hiro's aunt, who looked more than a little shocked with the sequence of events. She did feel it important to reassure his aunt that Hiro had made the right choice and came back to his senses when it came to dealing with the renegade professor.

Once she'd finished by telling how the portal had come down when the mask had been destroyed, Baymax took up the narrative again. Since he'd been there for what had happened inside the portal, he was the most qualified to explain that part. But once he got to the part where Hiro was jettisoned from the portal, Honey finished up, with Wasabi adding in a few details.

The overall explanation of their creation had taken several hours to relate and left more than several of the adults in a contemplative state. Tony broke from it first, instructing JARVIS to order some lunch. Everyone took that opportunity to get up and stretch.

Cass went off to try and digest what she'd just learned. The last parts of the battle certainly went along with what eyewitnesses had described on the news. As such, she could only accept it as all true, though part of her really recoiled at the idea. Her baby boy had been out there, had risked everything to save a woman he barely knew. She wasn't sure if she was more proud or scared about the possibility that she might have lost him back then.

"I thought you should know Miss Carmichael is awake," JARVIS stated, interrupting everyone's state of contemplation.

Baymax immediately headed towards the elevator. It was time to check in on Hiro anyway. Thor, Honey, and Natasha decided to accompany him, leaving the others behind.


	75. Food For Thought

Thanks to Loki being literally just outside the door of the medical suite, he was technically the first on scene when Kally woke up. He entered the room moments after hearing JARVIS announce, upstairs, that she was conscious, leaving the other guard at the door.

A doctor was there, coming out of some back room. She checked Kally's vitals as the girl adjusted her bed so she could sit more upright. Despite her injury, she felt pretty good. In fact, it didn't hurt nearly as much as it had the day before. And when the doctor asked her about the pain, she was able to confirm it being no more than a four out of ten.

Loki gave Kally a brief smile, sure she could see through his guise as a SHIELD guard. He didn't say anything while the doctor was there and was glad she left quickly, once she'd made sure her patient was comfortable. "Good morning, sleeping beauty," he said to her, using his magic to keep JARVIS from hearing their conversation.

Kally couldn't help but smile up at the god of mischief. "Looks like I'm back where it all started," she observed. "I honestly don't think I should feel this decent."

That confused the mischief god for a moment and it showed on his face. "Why do you say that?" He moved to stand closer to the side of her bed but far enough out of the way to not cause suspicion from anyone who might see the video footage.

"I thought I'd hurt a lot more," she replied as she moved to touch her injured thigh. "I almost think I'm going to heal up a lot faster than should be normal."

Loki chuckled at that. "Normal for a human," he corrected. "But remember you are not fully one. You are half Valkyrie, after all. And those of Asgard do tend to have a better healing ability than anyone from here, with a few exceptions."

Kally looked over towards the other bed, noting Hiro there with all his tubes and wires. "I almost feel a sense of déjà vu seeing him there like that," she confessed. "But it wasn't that long ago that we escaped Hydra was it?"

"It was only yesterday," Loki informed. "Though I'm told they plan on keeping Hiro sedated for a while to give his body time to recover. It's unfortunate that his abilities don't include a heightened sense of healing as well. I'm sure he'd find it useful."

But before Kally could make any comments on that end, the door to the room opened and Baymax, Honey, and Natasha entered the room. Loki took a few steps back in the guise of the dutiful guard while the doctor from before came back out to assure everyone Kally was making a good recovery.

"Guess it's too late to go back to the student expo," Kally joked. "I wonder what happened there."

Baymax waddled closer at Sammy's insistence. "You would have been disappointed by its results," Sammy said from his stomach. "I took the liberty of looking at the judges' score cards. They didn't even have a chance to evaluate your project."

Kally couldn't help but look confused. "But what about that guy who looked like a judge? I thought he...?"

Natasha moved closer so she could keep Kally from getting up. "He was an imposter," she explained, removing her hand from the teen's shoulder. "One of Hydra's agents keeping tabs on you, and possibly making sure your qualifications weren't exaggerated."

"I still don't know what they were going to do with the program they were having me write," Kally sighed, though part of her really didn't want to know. "I can only guess it wasn't anything good."

Honey gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's probably better to leave it at that," she advised. "Sometimes it's better not to know."

That seemed to give Kally food for thought as she chewed on her cheek. "Speaking of knowing things, are you guys going to tell me why you were wearing battle armor?"

"We were just talking about that upstairs," Honey confessed. "You see, Hiro's part of our usual group and everyone else finally found out so they wanted an explanation. Maybe we can convince the doctors to let you come up and listen?" She glanced towards the doctor who seemed to hover near them, just in case.

The doctor shrugged as she checked on Hiro's incisions. "I don't see why not," she agreed. "So long as someone keeps an eye on her."

Baymax turned to look at the medical practitioner. "As I am an integral part of the story, I will make sure nothing happens to Kally," he promised, "if JARVIS will keep me informed of Hiro's condition."

"I do not believe that will be a problem," JARVIS replied from a wall speaker.

Natasha pulled out her cell, which had begun to vibrate in her pocket. Upon answering it, she gave a few short words in reply to whoever was on the other end before hanging up and putting the device back where she'd got it. "Tony says the food's here," she announced. "We should probably head back up."

Kally looked over to the doctor. "Do you think I could go now? I wouldn't mind some food, so long as it's not shrimp." She gave a crooked smile at her half joke, assured by Natasha that they'd ordered something Mexican.

After some prodding, the doctor agreed to let Kally go with the others and join them for lunch. Her recovery seemed more advanced than anticipated. And so long as she didn't over do, she felt all would be well.

Heartened by the news, Kally was more than willing to submit to being pushed in a wheelchair, even though she felt more than capable of walking, so long as she had a crutch or a cane to help her. She didn't want to press her luck too much after all.

* * *

It took some doing, but they finally got everyone situated. Honey had brought Kally up in the promised wheelchair, giving her a hurried explanation of how the Big Heroes had gotten started while the medic got her ready. But now they were all safely back in the penthouse lounge area, plates of Mexican food in laps or on side tables or at the bar.

Tony did inquire after Kally's condition and was pleased to note she was doing well. Her foster parents had been made aware of the situation, in a manner of speaking. He hadn't wanted to get them too riled up and so had gone with the half truth that the government had used Kally's services to perform a much needed task. She'd gotten hurt a bit in the process but was doing fine otherwise. He'd also had to issue letters to the appropriate college deans for each student letting them know they'd been in the service of their country, just in case someone tried to flunk them for missing so much time.

"I did some research while everyone took a break," the billionaire genius announced. "There isn't a whole lot out there about this Torchwood you mentioned." He glanced at Fred. "But I found a lot on UNIT, which apparently originated over in England and has a lot to do with world-wide threats of an unusual nature. I'm a bit surprised we haven't heard of them before, let alone worked with them." He gave Phil a sidelong glance at this oversight.

Fred shrugged, not really surprised. "I told you they were top secret. It's not like they work for the United States or anything. From what we understood, they're kind of like you with full immunity, though they don't tend to blow up as much stuff."

Tony was about to comment on that but wisely didn't as Natasha nudged him sharply with one foot. He cleared his throat instead. "So, let's get down to the rest of your story," he suggested, wondering which of the Big Heroes would pick up the narrative next.

Baymax settled himself between Fred and Honey, who sat on opposing chairs. "Perhaps I should begin telling you about the next most significant mission," he stated. "It began with a series of earthquakes."

The robot then went on to explain how they discovered a meteor was essentially shot from the sky so a notorious terrorist group could harvest the rare space minerals to create mechanical body suits. He explained how they planned on using these suits to attack various cities, creating chaos and panic. In the course of his narration, he also explained how an alien entity, known as the Makt, had resided inside the space stone but had taken up residence inside Hiro.

This explanation prompted the need to explain how Hiro's DNA had changed due to exposure to the portal when he'd gone in to save Abigail Callaghan, making him the only real compatible individual for the Makt to commune and bond with. Abigail, though she'd been in the portal longer, hadn't been as exposed to the elements as Hiro had been. He also explained how the Doctor had come around, trying to fix things and figured out what was going on.

Honey jumped in with explanations of how she'd discovered the metal's unusual properties and how to apply it to their body armor to provide greater strength and durability. She continued to explain how they'd met up with Jack, relating events as Hiro had told them to the group. Since they hadn't been there when Hiro had met Jack, they only had his word on how things had gone. Though their thinking Hiro had been kidnapped made an interesting point that caused Cass to sort of squirm in her seat.

Cass sat with her hands clenched all throughout the narrative of how they'd managed to go around not only Torchwood, but UNIT as well. The thought that her nephew had somehow been altered by this portal made her feel a little sick inside. And part of her couldn't help but wonder what kind of affects the Makt had on him as well. She'd only interrupted once for clarification on what kind of alien entity it was and then was silent for the rest of the story.

GoGo took up the narrative when it came to explaining the battle against the exoskeletons. She didn't give into any flourishes, as Fred wanted to, but she gave the briefest explanation possible while still giving the essentials. Even Natasha winced at the tale of their injuries, even though she downplayed them.

Baymax finished the story of their encounter with the Makt by telling them how Hiro had opted to have the Doctor take him back to the Rift, the place the portal had led to, using the TARDIS so he could send the Makt home. Like GoGo, he kept to the briefest of details, only explaining points when they were questioned, such as how the accumulation of all that energy inside of Hiro's tiny body had nearly blown him up like a super nova, and how it had, yet again, altered his DNA.

By the time he finished speaking, the sky had grown dark outside and more than one person was restless. Thor frowned as he contemplated the whole of the tale. "These events alone would be more than enough to disturb anyone of sound mind," he commented. "However, I gather this is not the end of your tale." He glanced over at Honey, who seemed the most inclined to answer.

Honey nodded. "You're right. There's a lot more, and it all explains why Hiro has had such a hard time lately." She gave Cass an apologetic smile. "And, to be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure we know all of the details of the next part."

"I can confirm this," Baymax stated. "While I was not present for all events in the incident you are referring to, I am certain you have not been made aware of everything. I believe Hiro is still trying to process it all and will continue to do so for some time."

Tony stretched. "As cryptic as that sounds, and as much as I'd love to hear it right now, I think we should all think about dinner and bed. You've given us all a lot to think about. "He nodded to indicate all the Avengers present. "And I'm sure some of us are itching to test out a few theories." He didn't mention himself as it should be a given. "I wouldn't be upset to get a sample of this space rock," he added as an afterthought before turning towards his quarters, though he wasn't sure if they'd be willing to share, or if they had any more _to_ share with him.

Banner adjusted his glasses. "The scientific data behind all this could take years to even begin to understand," he said quietly. And while the scientist in him wanted to see if he could measure any kind of energy radiation coming from the teen, he knew it would probably be unwise. But he might ask Baymax to provide some raw data later, if he was willing.

Cass clutched at the armrests of her chair, looking more than a little worn out. Even though she doubted they'd related the whole of those events, it was more than enough to make her mind feel like it had overloaded with information and she was going to need a while to process it all. "My poor baby," she said to herself, resisting the urge to head down to him at that exact moment. Her legs had fallen asleep underneath her, which probably didn't help.

Kally couldn't help but chew on her cheek as she thought about all Hiro had gone through. And from what the others had hinted at, this was far from scratching the surface. But it at least gave her a bit of a better understanding. She could at least get why he had freaked out over the idea of Hydra using his DNA, and why it was so different, though she wasn't sure just how different it was.

"I'm heading off," Natasha said, following a silent Phil towards the elevator. The two of them had some things to discuss about this most recent information. And while she wasn't tired, someone had to make sure it was typed up in a report. At least as much as could be without compromising the clearance they obviously didn't have on the matter.

At Baymax's insistence, Kally returned to the medical suite and her bed there while the others retired for the evening. Thoughts of what the morning might bring filled the Big Heroes' minds, wondering just what might come to light in the telling of Hiro's repeated timelines. Would Baymax give them more than they'd heard before? Or would it be pretty much what they'd already heard?

* * *

The next few days were spent in telling the rest of the major events surrounding the Big Heroes, including Hiro's repeating timelines and the more recent events when Captain Picard and his crew members somehow crossed an inter-dimensional barrier and entered their world. Both Tony and Bruce were eager to hear about the whole cracks in space bit and were equally surprised to learn how they were healed.

All in all, the tales gave everyone a lot to think about. They left even Thor looking subdued as he mulled over the implications. "It is not unreasonable to think Hiro has done the universe a great service," he stated. "And though he may be the initial cause of the fractures, it is equally astonishing that he was able to repair the damage inflicted by his inexperience. I cannot help but wonder what kind of changes this may have upon him, both by choice and consequence."

The idea that Hiro might essentially be closer to a god was also intriguing, Thor mused. He wasn't sure if Hiro was aware of that or not, but there was no other way of putting it, especially after they went over the more recent events of his taking over the computer, not to mention disabling the tesseract-powered field around the Hydra base.

Tony wasn't sure he liked the idea of Hiro having an untapped well of potential that could put him on the level of Thor and Loki. Having to deal with the two, at different times, was more than enough for him. "It's probably a good thing he's on our side," he mused when the Avengers were left to themselves. "I'd be half tempted to offer him a position with the Avengers, just to keep an eye on him."

Natasha gave him a look he couldn't fathom, wondering what was going on behind those dark eyes. "I somehow doubt he'll accept," she reasoned. "With everything that's happened, I wouldn't blame him if he didn't."

Banner adjusted his glasses as he looked over some research he'd found on the matter. While it was less likely that the cracks in time and space were detectable by outside forces, he had found some data that at least confirmed the Big Heroes' story. "Hmm?" he looked up, still in thought. "Oh, yes. I think you're right. That and I really don't think his aunt would let him."

He made a good point, Tony had to admit. During the whole reveal of those events, Hiro's aunt had remained pretty quiet, though he doubted it would remain that way. Chances were good she was having it out with the Californians right now. He didn't envy them.

Another remarkable event had taken place as well, which had left many a little unnerved, minus Thor. Kally, though she had sustained some decent injuries, seemed to have recovered at an almost alarming rate. She was already back on her feet, even though the medics thought she should stick around the medical suite for a few more days, just to be safe. And the wound to her thigh, including the incisions they'd had to make to repair the damaged muscle tissue, was pretty much already healed, with only the faintest tracing of a scar. It was almost uncanny; though Thor assured them it was likely part of her Valkyrie heritage.

Phil stood from his position at the bar, straightening his suit. "Well, I have a few reports to fill out on all of this," he stated. "I'm sure you'll have more than enough time to try and convince young Hiro to join the team, though, like Natasha, I wouldn't be surprised if he said no. I'm sure he'll want some down time after everything that's happened."

The other Avengers watched him leave, not bothering to comment on his remarks. There was only one way to find out. They could present the idea to the others, though it would be longer before they could ask Hiro. He was still heavily sedated and would be for at least one more day.


	76. As Well As Can Be Expected

Loki debated. He really should get back to Asgard. And while he'd managed to send an apparitional replacement of himself, he knew it would only be a matter of time before someone would realize it was just that. Besides, it took a lot of concentration to maintain two facades in two different places. Something had to give, but there was one more thing he had to do before he went.

The Asgardian looked into the medical suite, watching Cass Hamada as she sat by her nephew's side. After listening in to all the stories from the teen's friends, he could understand why they hadn't told the aunt. She hadn't reacted in the best manner, though it was only to be expected. She wasn't used to those kinds of things, and he couldn't help but believe she was in a turmoil of emotions because of the reveal.

Part of Loki was still trying to reconcile himself with the notion that he wasn't born of Asgard, but from the Frost Giants. And the fact that his adoptive father had kept it secret from him for most of his life still stung. He figured it could be no different with Cass, knowing her nephew was leading a double-life behind her back, even if it was for a good cause. If he'd died, which apparently had happened multiple times, and never come back, she wouldn't have known the real reason behind it. That was more than enough for any person to handle. And then to find out the lie had gone on for years was even more hurtful.

He doubted Hiro had meant to hurt his aunt. His friends had reassured everyone he'd tried to keep it quiet to protect those he loved. But the sting was still there. It wasn't just about protecting but breaching trust. Odin had breached his with the reveal of his adoption. Hiro had breached his aunt's, knowingly or not, with the secret of his double-life.

Cass looked like a wreck, he decided, and understandably so. She'd been crying off and on since first learning about Hiro's exploits, especially the ones involving him repeatedly dying. No loving parent should have to go through that. And though it may be true that learning about it after the fact reduced the potential sting, the fact of the matter was that it still hurt on a level he felt sure only a true parent could understand.

If there was one thing Loki could do before he left, he hoped to be able to sooth Cass Hamada's heart and help her reconcile herself to her nephew's chosen life. He knew the teen would not, could not give it up now. And though it might be easier to just erase the revealed information from her mind, he wasn't going to do that. For one, it would raise too many questions for both the Big Heroes and the Avengers, and for another, it would probably backfire down the road.

So, with a somewhat heavy heart, Loki left his post as a sort of security guard and entered the room, sure no one else was there but Hiro and his aunt. Kally was upstairs at that moment, debriefing everyone about what had happened since her and Hiro's kidnapping so he doubted there would be any interference from them. It helped that Baymax had accompanied them so he could learn what had happened and how to best help his friend when he woke up from sedation.

Loki did not wear his usual garb, preferring to transform back into the simple jeans and button-down outfit he'd worn that fateful day back at the café, where he'd stolen some hair from Hiro's room and from his aunt. He felt seeing someone somewhat familiar might ease things a bit. And the fact that Cass had reacted in an almost girlish fashion would probably help. He just had to make sure to trick the cameras so no one would know what was going on. It was probably just as well that his Odin persona was supposedly sleeping or he'd be in trouble due to lack of concentration.

Cass sat with her knees drawn up to her chest as she watched her nephew's sleeping face. The chair she sat in was more comfortable than most hospital rooms would provide, which was a bonus, but it didn't help her aching heart. She traced Hiro's profile over and over again in her mind, trying to determine just when her nephew had decided to enter such a dangerous life.

It helped to know he had always been a bit of a danger seeker. His bot fighting was not lost on her, though she'd hoped that anything of that nature had ended when Tadashi had introduced him to the college's robotics program. Apparently not. It had taken a lot to shake him from the lethargy his brother's death had caused. She'd had the café, but he hadn't had much of anything.

Someone cleared his throat as she lost herself in her thoughts. She blinked a few times as she came back to reality, slowly easing her cramped legs back down so her feet could rest on the floor. Her legs had fallen asleep while she'd zoned out and it took her a moment to collect herself.

When she looked around to find the source of the noise, she saw the same man who'd visited her café what felt so long ago. He'd been really handsome then and he was just as handsome now, though it was kind of weird to see him here, now that she thought about it. "Hello," she said hesitantly, not sure what to make of it. "Are you a part of this group too?" She waved her hand to indicate the whole building.

Loki smiled, giving a brief chuckle. "I suppose you could say that," he replied. It wasn't strictly a lie, though it wasn't exactly the truth either. He and Thor were related, after all, even if through adoption. And he did have some association with the Avengers, even if it was under less than stellar circumstances. "How are you holding up?" He moved to stand closer to her, pulling up a vacant stool he'd noticed on the other side of the hospital bed.

Cass gave a half-hearted shrug. "As well as I can be expected, all things considered," she sighed. Things had definitely not unfolded in any manner she'd expected. And to learn that her nephew had led such a life under her nose... it was more than a little overwhelming. "My nephew's injured and has been lying to me for the past two years. How do you think I'm doing?"

"Point taken." He couldn't help but chuckle a bit uncomfortably. He'd walked into that one. "But if I may, I'd like to put things in a bit of a better perspective for you. I know your nephew constantly put his life at risk, but how many more people has he managed to save because of it? How many disasters has he managed to avert? If he hadn't stepped in, would you have ever known the truth about your other nephew's death?"

That made Cass pause before saying anything else. It was true. Up until Callaghan had made a full confession, she hadn't been aware that Tadashi's death was no accident. Knowing it didn't change what had happened, but it did give an interesting change of perspective on the whole. There was a sense of closure. And, if she thought about all the news reports about the Big Heroes and what they'd done, she had to admit that Loki was right. Her nephew and his friends had done a lot of good, including save her own life several times.

Seeing the understanding set in, Loki gave her a smile. "Yes it's a sad, scary notion to lose someone you love. But how many others would be mourning if he and his team hadn't stepped in?"

It was definitely a sobering thought, Cass decided. She was so caught up in that thought she didn't even notice Loki leaving. He was there one moment and gone the next. It took her another moment to realize she didn't even know his name, nor was she likely to ever find out.

Two days passed and all the Big Heroes, including Aunt Cass, stood around Hiro's bed, waiting to see what would happen. He'd been out of it for about a week now and the doctors thought it sufficiently long enough to give him a good start on healing. Even Kally waited to see what would happen, no longer required to stay in the medical suite. Despite that, she'd kept mostly to herself after she'd made her report on recent events.

Tony and the others hadn't wanted Kally to go back to the university just yet, which suited Kally just fine. She wanted to be there when Hiro woke up anyway. And, after going over everything that had happened since her kidnapping with the Avengers, she felt more than willing to take a few more days before going back to the old grind of college classes and other activities.

Several long minutes had passed since they'd cut off the flow of the Proprofol keeping Hiro asleep. Chances were good he'd remain unconscious for at least a good twenty minutes more. But that didn't stop them from anxiously waiting around for that to happen. The only one not in high agitation was Baymax, who monitored Hiro's progress like a hawk. Well, him and the medical staff on hand.

Mr. Stark strode into the somewhat cramped room, having been informed of events thanks to JARVIS. "Moment of truth," he said to no one in particular. From what his butler had told him, they had a bit to wait until the youth woke up so he decided now was just as good a time as any to bring up something he and the others had discussed.

Clearing his throat, Tony looked each member of Hiro's team in the eye. "We've discussed things upstairs," he began, "and we'd like to make you an offer. How would you like to become junior members of the Avengers?" He wasn't really sure how they'd react to that, if they'd react at all. "It would stay that way until you've all finished with your schooling, but we think you would make a good addition to the team." He knew that, even though they'd been set to graduate that semester, it wasn't going to happen due to everything that had happened.

Fred and GoGo exchanged glances. "I don't know, man," the mascot hedged. He was the only one not technically in school. "Shouldn't you like wait until Hiro's awake to ask us?"

"He's right," Honey Lemon spoke up. "We can't make that kind of a decision without Hiro. He is our leader, after all."

Wasabi nodded in agreement, his arms crossed over his chest. "What they said. If Hiro says no, I'm not going to argue." He didn't mention that the idea of going up against bad guys like what the Avengers did on any consistent basis was more than enough to bring on a panic attack. Despite that, he was doing a pretty good job of staying in control of his emotions. After all, no decision had been made yet, nor was it likely to be made that day.

Before Tony could press the issue, however, Hiro began to show signs of waking up. He groaned slightly as his muscles tensed than relaxed and his eyes fluttered open. He raised his good arm, eyes still mostly closed, and brought it up to his face. His fingers felt the tube coming out from his nose and he seemed to deflate his lungs in a drawn out sigh. "Why do I always wake up to that stupid thing in my nose?" he asked, his voice sounding more than a little hoarse.

The teen coughed a bit, mostly from a dry throat, before he opened his eyes enough to realize he wasn't where he thought he'd be. The room was decidedly different, reminding him of the medical suite in Stark Tower. For some odd reason, that made his heart rate increase as his breath hitched in his throat.

"Please try to take calming breaths," Baymax instructed. As he was able to more closely monitor Hiro's progress, he was the closest to him, at least on the right side of the bed. Aunt Cass had taken up residence on the left side.

Hiro's eyes widened at the sound of Baymax's voice. "Hey buddy. Is that really you?" He sucked in as much air as his lungs could hold, wondering if he was dreaming. "I've dreamed of you being there so many times I'm not sure if this is a dream or reality."

Baymax moved to place one vinyl-covered hand on Hiro's right one, gently moving it back down to his side. "You are not dreaming," he assured. "How do you feel?"

The teen chuckled weakly, his eyes now able to focus more. He blinked a few times, not sure he if he was seeing things or not. "Aunt Cass?" Tears choked back the rest of what he might have said, moisture sliding down his cheeks. He suddenly felt like his five-year-old self, back when he'd had his tonsils removed.

"Hey, sweetie," Cass smiled, her eyes also watering. She reached over and gently wiped the tears from his face. "It's okay. It's really me. You're safe."

If circumstances would have allowed, Hiro was more than willing to roll over onto his side so he could be closer to her. But when he tried, he had to quickly give up on the idea as the pain flared up in his mid-section. "Ugh," he groaned. "Why does it always have to hurt?" his voice broke on the last word. "I want to go home."

Cass moved her hand to his shoulder. She wasn't sure if placing her hand on his injured arm would make things worse or not so she settled for what she could manage. "Soon," she promised as she wiped away a tear with her other hand. "We'll go home soon."

One by one, the other Big Heroes silently left the room. As much as they wanted to talk with Hiro, they all knew he didn't have a lot of strength. That and this moment belonged to Cass. Even Tony followed their example, leaving the two alone.

A week passed and Hiro slowly regained his strength. Not wanting too many visitors to tax him, the doctors thought it best to limit him to two visitors at a time, only allowing them half an hour each. The only exceptions were Cass and Baymax. Everyone else had to take turns.

During the course of that week, Hiro also began to participate in basic physical therapy, mostly on his right arm. Without much muscle tone, thanks to his experiences with Hydra, he had a lot of catching up to do. The exercises they had him perform more than wore him out, though he couldn't help but feel a bit stronger every day.

Halfway through that week, he was allowed to actually start sitting up. The injuries inside his abdomen had finally healed enough to not cause further concern. And the doctors had decided he could at least start using his left hand, even if they left his arm in a brace. They also made him practice moving his feet and toes, partly to make sure he didn't lose any circulation and partly to make sure he developed back some of the muscle mass he'd lost there, even if he still had to wear the braces.

Now that he was able to sit up, they even took him on the occasional wheelchair ride, which meant he didn't feel quite so cooped up. Everyone agreed it would be better for his emotional and mental health to allow for a change in scenery.

By the second full week of being conscious, Hiro was definitely getting restless. He knew Tony and the others wanted to make sure everything was safe for him to return, but he felt they'd had more than enough time to make sure everything was good. He knew, without having to ask, that his aunt was more than ready to reclaim her café as well. She'd assured him she had left it in good hands when he'd asked, but he could tell she was ready to go home just as much as he was.

Finally, Phil came to announce they'd made sure everything was secure and safe for them to leave. There hadn't been any further Hydra activity reported. No one else had tried to cause havoc at the café. And the fact that everyone was feeling restless only helped speed things along.

Kally came by to visit Hiro during this last week. They'd had her stay at the Tower as well, though she'd confessed to wishing she could just go back to school already. "They're finally letting me go back tomorrow," she told her friend. "I admit it's going to feel kind of weird going back. The semester's just about over now. And even though they've all assured me I won't fail any of the classes, I can't help but worry." She'd spent her time reworking a new cell phone so Sammy could reside inside it.

Hiro knew exactly what she meant. He'd been given the same reassurances by Tony and even Bruce Banner, but he still wasn't sure about it. "It's always weird going back," he confessed. "It doesn't matter how long or how short it is. And it's been even longer for us than the others."

His reminder was a bit upsetting but Kally took it in stride. She felt a lot older than she probably should. But Hiro was right. They had technically lived a few weeks longer than everyone else and that was bound to have repercussions. "My birthday's coming up next month," she admitted. "Maybe you can come back for that?"

A bird flew past the window they both were staring out of on the penthouse level. "Maybe," he said without much enthusiasm. "I'll still be in physical therapy. And I doubt my aunt will want to let me out of her sight for a long time."

"True," Kally sighed. "It was just a thought. Maybe I'll have to come visit you."

She didn't stay too much longer after that, choosing to go and pack up what things she had acquired over the last few weeks. Honey had insisted on helping her fill out her wardrobe. She looked back only once to see Hiro still staring out the window.


	77. One Last Order of Business

She'd been right, Kally mused as she looked across the quad of the university campus. It was weird being back. She felt so different, like she'd lived a whole lifetime between leaving and coming back. And, in a way, she had. She wasn't sure how she'd relate to everyone else after this, especially those who didn't know.

"Welcome back, Miss Carmichael," Professor Othin greeting as he walked up to her, hands behind his back as usual. "It has been some time since I last saw you running around campus."

Kally began to at least try and explain things but he brushed her explanations aside with a wave of his hand. "I understand you were otherwise engaged in a worthy cause. I cannot fault you for that. In fact I have given you a passing grade in my class. "

Not sure how to take that, Kally could only shake her head. "I wasn't even there for all of it. And none of the other professors gave me a passing grade. They just gave me the option to retake the classes." She didn't want to think any kind of favoritism had come into play. After all, the professor had shown more interest in her than in any other student, not to mention her dreams of him while captured.

Othin chuckled. "Not all lessons are learned in the classroom," he reasoned. "And I believe you have learned a great deal during your absence. I could not, in good conscious, keep you from moving forward."

A blush crept up Kally's cheeks. "I _have_ learned a lot," she admitted. "I'm more aware of my surroundings, like you said I should be. I've changed a lot, but can't help but wonder if that will make things harder for me in the long run."

"Perhaps they will," Othin replied, starting to walk, indicating for her to fall into step with him. "I know more of your recent struggles than most and I do not envy those who would try to bully you in the future. You have come a long way, and yet you still have a long way to go. Keep moving forward and you will get there."

Kally wasn't sure if he really meant he knew more than most about her recent ordeals but decided to take it at face value. "I think I'll just head home for the last week of the semester," she admitted. "It's not like I can take all the finals." She stopped to stare directly into his visible eye. "What will you do?"

Othin paused as well, staring intently back before looking away. "I believe I will retire. I have walked many paths in my lifetime, taking on many roles. I've made my mistakes, lost people I love. I think it is now finally time to go off on my own and reflect on my life."

"But where will you go?" Kally protested. Out of all of her teachers, Othin had been the most inclined to push her in just the right ways to make her grow. The idea that he would be leaving made her feel almost empty inside.

The professor now looked almost as if his thoughts had traveled elsewhere. "I was thinking perhaps Norway. I have a friend who is more than willing to help me get there. And perhaps, one day, I will see my family again. We shall see." He moved off without so much as a backwards glance, leaving Kally to wonder as two ravens flew overhead.

* * *

Several more days passed before Hiro was allowed to leave for real. They'd fitted him with a boot for his right leg, keeping his left in the full length brace. He could, with a little practice slowly make his way around with the use of a crutch. He definitely needed it to maintain any semblance of balance. Thankfully, his bones had healed enough the doctors didn't think putting weight on them would be a problem. And they'd finally taken away his arm brace, admonishing him to take it easy with things.

The night before they were scheduled to head back, Cass came to visit with him. She'd given him some space the last few days but thought it was high time she broached his secrecy. She'd hesitated earlier, not wanting to complicate his recovery. But now felt as good a time as any. He'd be relying on everyone for a good while yet and it would be easier to take care of this before they headed home.

Cass seated herself on her usual perch, having turned the chair to face Hiro's bed. He still wasn't allowed to spend the night outside of the medical suite. She'd had a lot of time to think things through, and while she was more okay with things than she had been, she wanted to hear his reasons for keeping silent. "I just want to understand what you were thinking," she confessed. "Why didn't you tell someone about Callaghan when you first learned about it? You could have been killed! Why didn't you come to me?" She completely ignored the fact that Baymax had at least hinted that they'd tried to tell the police.

Hiro hadn't been prepared for this confrontation, but he supposed it was inevitable. "I tried to tell the police, but they wouldn't believe me!" Hiro protested. "No one would believe me. And I didn't know how to talk to you about it because it hurt too much and I didn't want to hurt you more. I know you were putting on a brave face for my sake and I wasn't about to take that away from you."

His aunt let out a heavy sigh. While his heart was in the right place, his logic hadn't been. "I still wish you'd come to me. Maybe I could have done something. I could have at least supported you. You didn't have to go through it alone."

The teen shrugged. "I wasn't alone," he reminded. "I had the team. And sure we had a few screw ups, but we figured it out."

But Cass just shook her head, the frown still creasing her face. "I still wish you'd told me."

Hiro couldn't help but fidget a bit. She was right and he knew it. "Are you mad at me?" He looked up at her through his too long hair. He really should at least trim it.

Cass wrapped him up into a big hug, his earnest eyes reminding her so much of when he was little. "Oh no, sweetie," she assured. "I'm just mad you didn't let me know. All these people knew and here I was, sitting in the dark. I couldn't be more proud but I wish you'd trusted me enough to let me know what was going on. Maybe it would have made things easier. At least you wouldn't have had to tiptoe around me just to keep it a secret."

It was a more than valid point, Hiro had to concede ad she pulled back to look at him once more. "Krei knew because he was there on our first big mission," he admitted. "And the others found out because we ended up working with them. I just didn't want you to worry, which is why I didn't think about telling you. That and I thought you'd tell me I couldn't do it anymore."

The heavy sigh that escaped Cass's lips expressed more than words could as she slowly shook her head. "You're not giving me nearly enough credit on the understanding scale," she admonished. "After all, I always knew you and Tadashi would go on to do exceptional things. I admit my idea of what those things were has changed over the years, but I always knew you were destined for greatness. The others told me most of what's happened, though I'd like to eventually hear it from you."

Hiro had to chuckle at that. It hurt a bit, his abdominal muscles engaging in ways they weren't used to, especially after everything that had happened. He hadn't had a reason to laugh, and there were still the bruises to take into account. They'd heal in time. Part of him was a little surprise he could still laugh. "Yeah," he agreed almost bashfully. "So does this mean I can keep doing this? Being a super hero I mean."

His expression was so earnest and almost painfully hopeful that Cass couldn't help but cave in sooner than she'd anticipated as she brushed the hair out of his face. "Yes, you can still do your thing. But so help me, Hiro, if you get yourself killed doing this super hero stuff, you're grounded, you hear me?"

"Yes, Aunt Cass," Hiro replied, gulping just a bit until he realized the sternness of her tone was to hide the tears of pride she kept at bay. He reached over for another hug. "Love you, Aunt Cass."

* * *

Now that Hiro was more or less up and about, and getting ready to head home, Tony decided now was as good a time as any to pull Cass aside to have a little heart to heart. She still wanted to be by his side, but it wasn't like they were waiting to see if he'd wake up now. And, so far, the teen had handled things well, taking them in stride. Maybe he had too much to worry about to let things slip through the cracks just yet, but it would happen. The super hero knew from experience.

Cass couldn't help but feel a bit awkward with just Tony Stark in the room with her. He'd asked her to follow him to a small treatment room down the hall. And since she refused to sit on the examination table, he took the initiative so she could have the stool. With folded arms, she regarded him as coolly as possible, not at all sure why he'd wanted this audience in the first place.

Tony cleared his throat a bit uncomfortably. Strictly speaking, he was about to divulge a few things about himself that most people didn't know. He wasn't sure what she thought of him, outside of her disapproval of how things had been handled, and so wasn't sure how she'd react to what he had to tell her.

"I don't know what you have to say, but it'll probably be easier to just out with it," Cass said not unkindly. She was used to such behavior. Hiro exhibited it a lot. Part of her thought she now understood why, especially when he hedged about doing some kind of extracurricular activity. It was a good code for hero work and part of her wondered how he'd take her knowing about it from here on out, though she hoped he wouldn't have to use that code anymore and just let her know he had to go fight bad guys or something.

Tony let out his breath and nodded. "You're right. It's just this is kind of hard to admit." He scratched at one eyebrow. "I'm sure you remember the Battle for New York. Who doesn't?" He paused only long enough to confirm she knew what he was talking about. "What most people don't know is that afterward I had a severe case of PTSD."

Understanding filled Cass's eyes and she rearranged her hands in her lap. "I can see that happening," she agreed. Especially after hearing about everything her nephew's group had been through, knowing it was child's play in comparison to what the Avengers dealt with on a more global level.

He cleared his throat again. "I exhibited all of the classic symptoms. I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to eat. I didn't want to socialize. I had a few episodes of panic. All that aside, we already know Hiro's exhibited more than enough of these symptoms thanks to his experiences. And how he's got this kidnapping thing on top of it all. He's going to be one seriously messed up kid."

"Tadashi had some of that after his parents died," Cass admitted. "It was rough, but we got through it." She could only hope that things would be as easy to deal with as they had been back then. Of course things were nothing like back then. Hiro had, inadvertently, taken things to a universal level. Which meant that maybe Tony Stark didn't really understand the scope of what Hiro had been through after all.

Tony shook his head. "While I don't want to negate his experiences, I can't help but think things are going to be a lot more rough as far as Hiro is concerned. He might try to repress these recent events without even realizing it, which, unfortunately, can make things worse." He held a hand out before she could speak, realizing she was about to make a comment. "I'm not saying you should force him to talk. But give him permission to talk about all of it, the kidnapping, the hero work, everything, when he feels ready. It's one thing for you to hear about it from his friends. It's an entirely different matter to hear about it from his own mouth. They don't know what went on inside his head."

Cass paused and think about that and had to admit it was true. It put a lot more of his recent behavior into perspective. She'd thought it a part of his grieving but now knew better. "How long did it take you?"

Iron Man gave a half-hearted shrug. "I don't think I'm over it yet. Maybe I won't be for a long time. But you get better as time goes by. Each day becomes a little easier, so long as you don't give into the fear and the panic. It's probably a good thing he has that robotic companion of his."

Her eyes softened a bit at that. It was probably thanks to Baymax, and his friends, that Hiro had managed to keep things together as well as he had, keeping things from her on top of it all. "Baymax has been a lifeline to him," she agreed. "But even knowing he's there for Hiro, I know there will be times I'll have to deal with things in ways I'm not prepared to."

Tony couldn't argue with that. Even Pepper had gotten upset with him while he was trying to deal with the brunt of his own PTSD. "If you ever feel overwhelmed with trying to handle things, don't hesitate to give me a call," he offered as he got down from the examination bed to pull out a business card. "I've added my personal number on the back. I just want you to know you're not alone dealing with this kind of thing and I'll do whatever I can to help."

Cass took the card, noting his script on the back. He had a firm hand. And, considering all she'd heard about him, she couldn't help but feel a bit honored that he'd go that far as to offer her what support he could. "Thank you," she said as she pocketed the card.

Tony didn't wait long after that to make some kind of excuse about needing to go check in on Pepper, especially since he hadn't contacted her since the whole incident had started. Cass thought he seemed a bit anxious to leave the room but found she wasn't surprised. Well, if it came down to it, she supposed she would probably eventually ask for his help, but she'd do her best to try and handle it on her own until then.

* * *

The next day, all six Big Heroes, plus Aunt Cass, made their way from the airport. It had been a bit weird to fly in a private jet, but Fred made it feel more normal, stating he'd flown on one more times than he could count. And Wasabi was reassured his van would be returned to San Fransokyo via special delivery no more than a day or two later.

With Tony's help, they'd managed to take all of their equipment, experiments and all, back with them. The man had taken a moment to pull Hiro aside and ask him about becoming an Avenger. And, after a moment's thought, he turned the man down.

"No thanks," Hiro said earnestly. "I think we're doing just fine the way we are. I'm sure the rest of my team feels the same. But if you ever need our help again, don't hesitate to ask."

Tony couldn't help but give him a handshake out of respect. Though part of him had hoped Hiro would say yes, he wasn't entirely surprised. He'd also offered to help him upgrade his and his team's equipment, with the same response. Well, maybe he could pass on some suggestions through Fred. He was usually more than willing to share those kinds of things. He had no doubts he'd be hearing more of the Big Heroes and their exploits.

Honey Lemon pushed Hiro's wheelchair. He still wasn't used to using crutches and they wore him out a lot more than he let on. But they made it back through the airport and the limo Fred had called ahead for. Cass was more than a little impressed with this arrangement but didn't comment. Her nephew's friends seemed more than used to it.

One by one, Heathcliff dropped them off at their respective addresses, saving the café for last. With Fred's help, Hiro got out of the car. He felt a bit wistful that they'd never actually managed to retrieve his microbots, but at least he still head the transmitter. He could always rebuild them. And, with a little more help from both Fred and Cass, he managed to get inside while Heathcliff unloaded their luggage for them.

"Home sweet home," Cass sighed as they went in through the back door. The sounds of a busy café filled the air and she was tempted to go in and help but chose not to. They had to settle back in, after all. And, since they'd been gone for about a month, she felt more than certain the house part of the building could use a little love before she could feel satisfied about everything.

Baymax helped Hiro up the stairs to his room, Fred touting his luggage behind them. "Mr. Stark has referred you to one of the most prestigious doctors in the area," he reminded his young charge. "Your first appointment is scheduled in two days."

Hiro waved aside his banter, heading slowly to his bed, where he carefully sat down before lowering himself onto the mattress. "It's so good to be home," he sighed as he closed his eyes. The coming months would suck, but at least he was home.

* * *

Loki gazed out from the throne of Asgard. Fingers crossed, he hadn't caused any undo suspicions thanks to his absence. Heimdall had given him an interesting look when he'd come out of the Bifrost, but that was to be expected. He'd have that little hiccup taken care of before too long. For the moment, he was more than willing to kick back and let out a sigh of relief. Being altruistic was indeed draining.

There had been a few close calls back on Midgard. He'd run into Thor a time or two, thankfully in disguise. And, even more amazingly, Thor hadn't seemed to recognize him. It helped that his adoptive brother soon left the Tower after everything had been explained. Apparently he wanted to make up with Jane Foster over some nonsense.

Now, back in the guise of his adoptive father, he felt more than a little accomplished. He'd saved a half-Valkyrie from a terrible fate. Sure she might not ever think about him again, but at least they wouldn't be using her DNA for nefarious means. On top of which, he'd helped a teen genius escape a similar fate. All in all, it had been a good experience. There was only one last thing to deal with.

"Send for Scourge," Loki ordered one of his many minions. It was time to take care of one last order of business.


End file.
